A 22-year-old man is dead after being shot in Surrey. He was reportedly not known to police.
On Friday (November 9) just before 1:30 a.m., Surrey RCMP was called to the 14200-block of 70A Avenue after receiving a report of an individual who was on the ground outside of a residence. Police found an adult malevictim who was dead. Preliminary information indicated that the male had been shot.
The area surrounding the scene will be cordoned off for a significant amount of time. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has been called and will be working in partnership with the Surrey RCMP.
Police are currently in the evidence gathering phase.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation can call the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or email IHIT at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson and NDP Premier John Horgan faced off this evening in a public debate that BC Liberals claim proved the NDP just can’t explain their “reckless” referendum on electoral reform.
Wilkinson repeatedly pressed Horgan to provide missing details that British Columbians need to make an informed decision.
“There are 29 details about PR that John Horgan refuses to make public. How many ridings there will be, how many MLAs we’ll have? We don’t know, because he won’t, or can’t, say. He wants you to vote first and he will answer those questions later,” said Wilkinson. “Let’s remember, these are your voting rights. Our democracy belongs to you. It should not be left to political parties to monkey around with something as important as how we vote.”
John Horgan
The Premier failed to explain how Mixed-Member Proportional, the voting system he personally prefers, would benefit British Columbians even though it would increase the power and influence of political parties over voters, according to the BC Liberals.
“The NDP want to take away your democratic rights and hand them over to party bosses and political insiders, allowing them to make the most important decisions like who makes it on to party lists,” added Wilkinson. “I’m glad that as a result of this debate, thousands of British Columbians can now see the stacked deck the NDP have cooked up behind closed doors and hopefully that means more people will vote.”
As of Thursday morning, only 2.6% of ballots had been returned to Elections BC, over two weeks since the referendum began.
RCMP Superintendent Peter Payne told the media in Ottawa this week that the RCMP are looking at possible involvement of Canadians in CRA phone scams originating from India where police are trying to crack down on the scammers.
Although recent police raids in India have resulted in dozens of arrests, the RCMP feel that the scam is going to continue, even get worse. The scammers are now operating with smaller operations to get away with fraud.
CBC reports that the recent raids were triggered through a visit by Canadian police to Noida, a suburb of New Delhi, following a CBC Marketplace investigation.
CBC said: “India’s Central Bureau of Investigations is now working with a RCMP liaison officer permanently based in India’s capital so that legal action can be taken in India to stop the actions at the source. Those already arrested are facing a series of fraud-related charges.”
The scammers use Canadian phone numbers and when these are identified, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre tries to get it shut down. However, the scammers tend to change the number within 12 hours. Some of those phone numbers are believed to be sourced from Canadian providers, using VOIP (voice over internet protocol) technology, reports the CBC.
Federal government charged more than it spent to process applications
Richard Kurland
THE Federal Court has certified a class proceeding lawsuit in the case of Nguyen v. Her Majesty the Queen, Court File No. T-1778-15, that alleges that the Government of Canada collected more money through charging service fees for multiple-entry temporary resident visa applications [“MTRV applications”] than the Government of Canada spent to process and make decisions on those applications between October 21, 2009, and March 31, 2015. The lawsuit asks the overpayment be refunded to the people who paid MTRV fees.
Well-known immigration lawyer, Richard Kurland, who is editor of Canada’s leading immigration publication Lexbase, says that this may be the largest class action ever in Canada, with over two million fees paid, affecting mainly people visiting from China, India, and Philippines, many of whom are now voting Canadian citizens.
Kurland noted that this is not taxpayer money. This is money that has been overpaid to the government. The facts are not in dispute. These are the government’s own numbers, and their own admissions. The government’s position is overpayments made by people are not recoverable, which would be an alarming precedent affecting all Canadians.
PREMIER John Horgan, Ravi Kahlon, Parliamentary Secretary for Sport and Multiculturalism and ministers and MLAs along with representatives from the community on Wednesday participated in a celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, at the Parliament Buildings in Victoria.
This is the first time Diwali was hosted at the Parliament Buildings.
STATISTICS Canada has confirmed that British Columbia’s economy grew by 3.8% in 2017, exceeding February’s Budget 2017 forecast of 2.3% provided by the Economic Forecast Council (EFC), the Province announced on Thursday.
The province’s economic growth in 2017 triggers the Economic Stability Dividend (ESD), negotiated as part of the Province’s 2014 Economic Stability Mandate. The ESD will provide unionized employees with a 0.75% additional wage increase beginning in February 2019. All four dividends total 1.95% and over the five-year term, employees will have received 7.45% in cumulative wage increases, including the 5.5% negotiated under the Economic Stability Mandate.
To activate the ESD negotiated in the 2014 mandate, real gross domestic product (GDP) growth for B.C. must exceed the forecast provided by the independent EFC for the calendar year. The wage increase is calculated based on 50% of the positive difference between the EFC forecast for real GDP growth and actual growth as reported by Statistics Canada.
British Columbia is on track to be one of Canada’s strongest economies in 2018 and 2019. B.C. has the lowest unemployment rate in the country and private sector economists expect British Columbia’s economic growth to rank near the top of the provincial rankings, the B.C. Government said.
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart
Photo by Sukhwant Singh Dhillon
Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart Photo by Sukhwant Singh Dhillon
VANCOUVER Mayor Kennedy Stewart this week met with key ministers in Victoria as part of his commitment to take action in his first 100 days on key priorities including affordable housing, transit, childcare, and the opioid crisis.
“I pledged to hit the ground running and get started on day one building a Vancouver that works for everyone,” said Stewart. “My meetings with key Ministers here in Victoria have given me great hope that our Provincial Government shares the same urgency that I do when it comes to tackling the challenges people and businesses are facing in Vancouver on affordable housing, transit, childcare, and the opioid crisis.”
Highlights of his meetings included:
· Speaking with Minister of Finance and Deputy Premier Carole James about the need to protect the film industry tax credits that support Vancouver’s world class film and television production sector.
· Speaking with Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Selina Robinson on the importance of maintaining and monitoring the demand side measures in place to fight speculation in Vancouver’s housing market and agreement on the need to see the Government of Canada bring back tax credits for rental housing construction.
· Speaking with Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen about how childcare was a joint priority for all of council, especially councillors Melissa De Genova and Christine Boyle, and how the City of Vancouver can help get a range of childcare investment projects in place as quickly as possible.
· Speaking with Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy about moving forward with his plan for an emergency task force on the opioid crisis, the poison drug supply issue, and how to support people with treatment and recovery options including the key role that secure housing plays.
· Speaking with Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Claire Trevena on moving forward with a regional approach to transit investment in Metro Vancouver and specifically thanking the Provincial Government for providing 40% of the funding for Mayor Council’s 10-year plan.
CONSERVATIVE Party Leader Andrew Scheer on Thursday unveiled the first of his three-part plan for a safer Canada, titled “Cracking Down on Gangs.”
Scheer said: “Gang violence is unfortunately becoming more and more common on our otherwise safe streets and Canadians are worried about their safety. Conservatives will put an end to the revolving door for gang members. A Conservative government will take action to make it easier for police to target gang members and put them where they belong: behind bars.”
He said that more than half of firearms homicides are gang-related and pointed out that Canadians are increasingly concerned by violent gang crime in our cities and accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for failing to implement solutions to combat this growing problem.
“Justin Trudeau is softening penalties for gang crimes to as little as an administrative fine. This failure has real consequences for Canadians. It puts them at risk by letting violent gang members remain at large on our streets,” said Scheer.
Scheer’s plan consists of the following proposals:
Ending automatic bail for gang members
Right now, even the most notorious gang members are entitled to bail. That means dangerous criminals who are known to police often go right back out on the streets. This is a dangerous risk to our communities and wastes valuable police resources. A Conservative government under Scheer will change that and make sure that arrested repeat gang offenders will be held without bail.
Identifying gangs in the Criminal Code
Every time prosecutors go after gang members, they must first prove to the court that their gangs are criminal organizations. This includes well-known gangs like MS-13 and the Hells Angels. This makes no sense and is another huge waste of resources. A Conservative government under Scheer will create and maintain a list of proven criminal organizations which will help law enforcement prosecute gang members faster.
Revoking parole for gang members
Parole is a privilege, not a right. Currently, paroled offenders are required to abstain from drugs and alcohol and promise to keep the peace. A Conservative government under Scheer will also require those on parole to cut ties with gangs. Statistics show offenders are more likely to re-offend on parole if they’re in a gang. If you’re associating with gangs while on parole, you go back to jail.
Tougher sentences for ordering gang crime
Right now, gang leaders who order others to commit crimes can receive very short sentences in prisons, often served alongside other gang members. A Conservative government under Scheer will bring in mandatory sentences in federal prison for directing gang crime, sending a strong message to gang members that they belong behind bars.
New sentences for violent gang crime
Gang-related murders, assaults, robberies and other violent acts are steadily on the rise and pose the biggest threat to Canadians’ safety. A Conservative government under Scheer will create new offences for committing and ordering violent gang crime and attach mandatory sentences in federal prison for each.
A hard-working family from Surrey is investing and planning for its future after discovering it matched all seven numbers to win a $1 million Maxmillion prize on the Lotto Max draw on October 5.
Ram Singh, a business owner who says he works seven days a week, is still absorbing the good news. “My wife said ‘we won’ and I went blank. It hasn’t hit me yet.”
Ram and his wife Sushil say they intend to invest in real estate and give the rest of the winnings to their children. “I was thinking if I ever won the lottery I would invest with my kids and get them a townhouse,” said Ram.
Ram, who has been playing the lottery for more than 30 years and Lotto Max since it started in 2009, is maintaining a level-headed approach to his good fortune. “I don’t get excited too quickly,” he jested.
Ram and Sushil are the 27th Lotto Max Maxmillions winners in B.C. in 2018.
A bag of allegedly stolen mail that was seized during the investigation.
Photo: RCMP
A bag of allegedly stolen mail that was seized during the investigation. Photo: RCMP
A 49-year-old Surrey man and a 40-year-old Surrey woman are facing multiple charges after a combined Canada Post-Coquitlam RCMP investigation into alleged prolific mail thieves that have been working the area for months.
Heine Hut, who is well-known to police and Canada Post, has been charged with two counts of theft of mail, one count of count of unlawful use of a mail key, one count of possession of stolen mail and two counts of possession of a stolen credit card.
Charlene Saar, who was arrested with Hut at his residence in Surrey, has been charged with one count of theft of mail, one count of possession of stolen mail, one count of unlawful use of a mail key and two counts of a possession of a stolen credit card.
“This was an effective inter-agency project and Canadian Postal Inspectors provided crucial expertise,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. “Once a primary suspect was identified, the Coquitlam RCMP Prolific Target Team made the arrests and then used search warrants to gather a large amount of evidence. The suspects are believed to be responsible for a large number of identity and mail theft over an extended period.”
Mail theft is a common complaint, but here are some tips from postal inspectors and law enforcement to help secure your mail and protect your identity:
– Collect your mail daily.
– If you’ll be away, use Canada Post’s Hold Mail service to suspend delivery until you return.
– When you move, file a change of address with Canada Post and advise your banks and other companies.
If you have concerns about your mail, or if you believe any mail has not been delivered, contact your mailers to ensure they have your correct mailing address, report it to Canada Post Customer Service, 1-800-267-1177, and report suspicious activities to local police.
