KIRK McLean, former all-star Canucks goaltender, recently did a promotional video and hosted an online fundraiser for the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society of BC.
Visit online fundraising page.
Twitter: @ICFS_BC.
Initial short-term rental enforcement sees legal actions, de-listings in Vancouver
Commercial accommodation operators targeted during first month of program
A month after launching the new short-term rental regulations on April 19, the City is actively investigating over 1,500 listings which appear to be illegal. These include commercial operations and illegal / unsafe units that will not qualify under the new licensing program, in order to protect the safety and availability of Vancouver’s long-term rental stock.
The City has pursued the following proactive investigation and enforcement actions on these listings:
- Nearly 400 short-term rental listings have either been converted to long-term rental units or delisted;
- Prosecution has been initiated against commercial operators representing 89 listings, with the potential to collect fines of up to $890,000;
- Over 400 listings have been targeted for enforcement, with multiple actions taken including warning letters, safety violation inspections, prosecutions and fines; and
- Over 100 listings with duplicate or incorrect business licences are under audit and subject to additional enforcement.
The City has also received over 430 citizen complaints about suspected illegal short-term rentals since April 19. All complaints are reviewed and actioned, as appropriate, through the short-term rental enforcement team. The City encourages residents to use VanConnect or phone 3-1-1 to register a complaint if they suspect an illegal short-term rental.
“The new short-term rental regulations are designed to balance long-term rental housing protection by prohibiting short-term rentals in investment properties and support for owners and tenants who want to offset high housing costs with supplemental income,” says Kaye Krishna, General Manager, Development, Buildings and Licensing. “The City’s enforcement team has been working on creative, proactive strategies to identify and go after illegal short-term rental operators. We expect that our enforcement tools will only continue to strengthen as we get new data sets from short-term rental platforms and once the August 31 deadline passes, when all listings must include a valid business licence number.”
Over 900 short-term rental business licences have been issued since the regulations came into effect one month ago, which includes:
- 679 owners and 244 renters;
- 308 apartments, 24 laneway houses, 72 duplex/triplex/fourplex, 416 detached houses, 64 suites in a house, and 40 townhouses.
To help ensure compliance with the City’s new short-term rental regulations, Airbnb will provide a list of all Vancouver licences and associated addresses that short-term rent via their platform to the City on a quarterly basis. The first of these is scheduled for this summer, from which City staff will be able to clearly review and validate online licences registered on this platform.
Additionally, the City will collect information on all short-term rental platforms via a ‘screen scrape’ from a third party vendor to assess the online short-term rental activity in the Vancouver market. The City will continue to collect data from these two sources regularly and use it to determine enforcement actions.
Property owners or tenants that are currently operating a short-term rental out of their principal residence have until August 31 to obtain a valid business licence. Anyone who advertises a short-term rental without a business licence after August 31 will be subject to fines starting at $1,000, prosecution, or other enforcement actions.
The City has hosted two information sessions, answered over 1,000 3-1-1 calls and electronic enquiries, and rolled out a social media campaign to help residents understand the new rules and requirements, and how to apply for a business licence.
Residents interested in learning more about the short-term rental business licence program can visit: http://vancouver.ca/doing-business/short-term-rentals.aspx.
Lok Sabha bypoll results: BJP retains majority, but with reduced strength
New Delhi: The BJP, which retained one seat out of three in the Lok Sabha bypolls, has a wafer-thin majority now with its effective strength standing at 272 in the 539-member House.
The Lok Sabha has 543 elected members but four seats are vacant. While three MPs from Karnataka resigned, the Anantnag seat in Kashmir is lying vacant after the bypoll was deferred indefinitely in May last year. It brings the majority mark down to 270.
However, for all practical purposes the BJP’s strength is 274 as two nominated members also belong to it.
Counting them, the BJP has three members more than the 271 it needs to have a majority in 541-member House.
Due to losses in a number of by-polls, including in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the BJP’s strength has come down in the Lok Sabha after it won 282 seats in the 2014 general elections.
However, it makes little difference to the government as the BJP-led NDA has around 315 seats.
By-polls to four Lok Sabha seats were held on May 28. The BJP had won three of them in the general elections but could manage to retain only one, losing one each in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.
By-election Results
(Voting was held on May 28 for four Lok Sabha and 10 assembly constituencies)
Lok Sabha
* Kairana (Uttar Pradesh): RLD
* Palghar (Maharashtra): BJP
* Bhandara-Gondiya (Maharashtra): NCP
* Nagaland: NDPP
Assembly
* Noorpur (Uttar Pradesh): SP
* Shahkot (Punjab): Congress
* Jokihat (Bihar): RJD
* Gomia (Jharkhand): JMM
* Silli (Jharkhand): JMM
* Chengannur (Kerala):CPI(M)
* Palus Kadegaon (Maharashtra): Congress
* Ampati (Meghalaya): Congress
* Tharali (Uttarakhand): BJP
* Maheshtala (West Bengal): TMC
Stunning upset for BJP in UP, loses both seats
PTI Photo
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh’s ruling BJP on Thursday suffered a stunning electoral upset with the joint opposition candidates posting victories in the bypolls for Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly constituencies.
Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Tabassum Hasan won the Kairana seat by a margin of 44,618 votes, while Naeemul Hasan of the Samajwadi Party bagged the Noorpur Assembly seat by a margin on 5,662 votes.
Both seats were earlier held by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The opposition victories follow the BJP defeats in the Lok Sabha by-elections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur in March, and come just a year before the general election.
In Kairana, Tabassum polled 481,182 votes, while the BJP’s Mriganka Singh got 436,564 votes, the election office here said.
The death of Singh’s father, BJP MP Hukum Singh, had necessitated the bypoll.
Hasan, 48, has now became the first Muslim face from Uttar Pradesh in the 16th Lok Sabha.
The RLD candidate, who was supported by the Congress, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, established an almost invincible lead by noon.
In Noorpur, SP’s Naeemul Hasan was backed by the Congress, the BSP and the Aam Aadmi Party.
Naeemul Hasan polled 94,875 votes while BJP’s Avni Singh got 89,213 votes. Election for the assembly seat followed the death of Avni Singh’s husband Lokendra Singh Chauhan in a road accident in February.
Tabassum Hasan said her victory showed the people were now standing up against the BJP misrule .
“Had there be no EVM problem, my victory margin would have been more. I was confident of my victory as I had faith in the people,” she said.
She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have no impact in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
“The BJP’s arrogant people say there is no alternative to Modi, but the Almighty always finds a way out and the alliance of opposition parties will come out triumphant against the BJP in 2019. My victory has proved that the path of the united opposition is clear in 2019,” she said.
Losing BJP candidate Mriganka Singh said, “We were unable to convey the achievements of the Centre and the UP government to the people.”
Jayant Chaudhary, RLD’s national vice president and son of party leader Ajit Singh, said, “The agenda of those who wanted to win the bypolls by spreading communalism has been rejected by the people. In this election, every person said that ‘ganna’ (sugarcane) and not ‘Jinnah’ is the issue.”
He said in the runup to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the role of the RLD will be important.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said, “This is a defeat for those who do not believe in democracy and play divisive politics. The people have given a befitting reply to the BJP.”
RLD national spokesman Anil Dubey said, “This victory is not of our party alone, but of the united opposition. With this victory we succeeded in uniting the society which the BJP attempted to fragment with its divisive politics.”
Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma claimed the opposition resorted to communalism and caste to win.
“We believe in working for development and we don’t want to contest elections on communal or caste lines,” the BJP leader said.
“The opposition is in a state of political unemployment. Hence it is resorting to every trick to ensure the victory of its candidate. We are contesting elections as a part of democracy and will continue to do so and win elections.”
Counting of votes for the Kairana Lok Sabha and Noorpur assembly by-elections began Thursday morning amid tight security arrangements.
Polling for the high-stakes by-elections to the two constituencies was held on Monday. In Kairana, repolling was held at 73 polling stations on Wednesday.
Congress wins Shahkot seat; now has two-thirds majority in Punjab Assembly
Chandigarh (PTI): The ruling Congress on Thursday wrested the Shahkot Assembly seat by handing out a crushing defeat to the Shiromani Akali Dal with party candidate Hardev Singh Ladi trouncing rival SAD’s Naib Singh Kohar by 38,802 votes.
With this resounding victory, the Congress’s strength in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha will reach 78, a two-thirds majority.
Ladi got 82,747 votes to Akali candidate Naib Singh Kohar’s 43,945, an official spokesman of the election office said.
Shahkot was considered an Akali Dal pocket-borough from where late Ajit Singh Kohar was elected five-times in a row.
The performance of the main opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Shahkot bypoll was dismal as its candidate Rattan Singh Kakkar Kalan secured just 1,900 votes.
The bypoll was necessitated by the death of Ajit Singh Kohar, Naib Singh Kohar’s father, in February this year.
The contest was being seen as a test of the popularity of the 14-month-old Congress government in the state. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh hailed the victory as a “vindication of the government’s people-centric policies”.
“People of #Shahkot have given a massive thumbs up to @INCPunjab govt’s development policies. @Akali_Dal_ never worked for Shahkot even though the people gave them many opportunities. @AAPPunjab decimation will be complete with this humiliating defeat,” Amarinder Singh tweeted.
With Congress wresting the Akali bastion, the party’s the winning momentum after putting up a stellar performance in the 2017 Punjab assembly elections and Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll continues.
Congress had stormed to power in March this year by winning 77 seats of the 117-assembly seats-on the back of poll promises like farm debt waiver and free smartphones.
Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar said people had again reposed faith in the Congress government under the leadership of Amarinder Singh. The Gurdaspur MP also raised questions over the leadership of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal.
“Akali Dal has been winning the Shahkot Assembly Constituency for the last 20 years. Now, a question arises that Akali Dal will have to see whether they will accept the leadership of Sukhbir Badal. Akali Dal has faced humiliating defeats consistently, be it Gurdaspur Lok Sabha bypoll, today Shahkot bypoll and civic polls,” said Jakhar.
The people of Shahkot have answered the arrogance of Akali Dal and its leadership, he claimed.
Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu took a dig at Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law and former minister Bikram Singh Majithia, saying the defeat of Akali Dal was imminent wherever the two were present. They should retire and sit at home, Sidhu said taking a swipe.
Another Punjab minister, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, said the party was sure of the victory in Akali stronghold.
Celebrations broke out at Congress Bhawan in Chandigarh while in Jalandhar party leaders and workers were distributing sweets and performing ‘Bhangra’ to drumbeats.
Akali candidate Naib Singh Kohar alleged EVMs were rigged. “EVMs were tampered. Even as counting took place before me, but machines were not fine, then what counting will do? There was not even a single booth from where I gained. Therefore, machines were rigged,” he alleged.
A visibly upset Naib Singh Kohar had left the counting place midway.
The defeat for Akali Dal in its bastion came as a “setback” as SAD chief Sukhbir Badal had taken charge of the poll campaign and held several meetings before the bypoll.
The bypoll was also being seen as a barometer for the popularity of the 14-month-old Congress government of Amarinder Singh.
A total 1,32,385 valid votes were polled in the bypoll, including 1,268 for the None of the Above (NOTA) option. Six votes were rejected, said the spokesman of the election office.
As many as 76.60 per cent of 1,72,676 voters exercised their franchise for the Shahkot Assembly bypoll on May 28.
Ladi maintained the lead from the start of the counting process.
The Congress had won 77 seats in the 117-member Punjab Vidhan Sabha during 2017 Assembly polls while the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance managed to win 18 seats. The AAP won 20 seats while Lok Insaf Party had bagged two seats.
Government policy should focus on supply of new housing in Metro Vancouver: UBC study
A new study completed by Dr. James Tansey of the Sauder Centre for Social Innovation and Impact Investing (Sauder S3i) summarizes the main forces driving rising home prices in Vancouver. The report also provides a global overview showing how the region compares to other similar cities using 20 metrics covering affordability, density, economy, sustainability, innovation and health.
Looking at the global metrics the study draws a number of conclusions:
- In absolute terms, the cost of housing is high in terms of the price per square foot of property compared to cities around the world.
- Affordability is made worse by the relatively low salaries offered in Vancouver, compared to other ‘middleweight’ global cities.
- While the population density of the City of Vancouver compares to some of the most successful regions in the world, there is lots of room for growth across the region. Even within the City of Vancouver, density drops away very quickly from the downtown core to relatively low levels of density. The region is ranked 140thamong OECD countries for density and 25thfor population growth among comparable cities.
Looking at the driving forces behind housing price growth, the report summarizes a number of reports that demonstrate that economic growth, population growth and low interest rates have been far more significant in driving price increases than domestic or foreign speculation.
Examining the policy responses of government, which have focused on tax based demand policies, the evidence from the provincial government’s own 2018 budget figures suggests they do not expect these measures to decrease prices. The analysis finds that even the foreign buyers tax is expected to result in increased revenues to government over the next three years, which suggests that the policies are designed to capture revenue to government rather than to address the issue of affordability.
While the provincial government and municipalities can do very little to reduce population growth and interest rates, and have no desire to reduce economic growth, both levels of government can play a critical role in increasing the pace and cost of new housing construction in the region. CHMC data shows that Vancouver CMA is the slowest to respond to increasing housing demand and this inevitably increases prices.
The main conclusion of the study is that there appears to be no downside to encouraging more construction; the global metrics show that the region still has lots of room to growth. In the face of a projected 50% population increase in the next two decades, there is a need for leadership in the development of a regional strategy that increases pace of new construction.
http://www.sauder.ubc.ca/Faculty/Research_Centres/Centre_for_Social_Innovation_and_Impact_Investing
Male arrested after young woman alleges she was assaulted near Richmond elementary school
THURSDAY UPDATE:
The BC Prosecution Service has approved seven charges against Cheng Ian Huang, 42, of Richmond in this case: One count each of kidnapping, assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a firearm without permit, sexual assault using a Taser, impersonating police officer and utter threat.
SHORTLY before 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday (May 30), a Good Samaritan in a vehicle was approached by a distraught young woman on foot near the west end of Williams Road. The woman alleged she had been assaulted and managed to escape her captor. The woman was transported to Dixon Elementary School and met by Richmond RCMP officers.
Subsequent investigation resulted in identifying a location where police believe the young woman was held, a residence in the 3000-block of Jesmond Avenue. Around 1 p.m., police secured this location and the surrounding area.
Just prior to 4 p.m, Richmond RCMP were able to negotiate with a lone male at the residence and he surrendered peacefully. The male, 42, from Richmond was taken into custody. No injuries or fatalities were noted.
Richmond RCMP worked with community partners at Dixon Elementary School in order to safeguard the staff and students. A brief hold and secure protocol was enacted from 2:15 – 4:15 p.m.
The investigation is ongoing and officers are still securing the residence.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation can contact the General Investigation Section (GIS) of the Richmond RCMP at 604-278-1212 or by email at Richmond_Tips@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Writers International Network of Canada (WIN) Awards Gala
At the Writers International Network of Canada (WIN) Awards Gala on May 25 at which 10 well-known individuals of very diverse backgrounds were recognized for their accomplishments: Dr. Surinder Dhanjal, Hulya N. Yilmaz and William S. Peters Sr. and Ujjal Dosanjh (WIN Distinction Award); Lozan Yamolky and Mr. Ibrahim Honjo (Dr. Asha Bhargava Memorial and Distinguished Poet Award ); Roshan Padmanaban, Romeo Mercado and Ratka Bogdan (Community Ambassador Award); and Chamkaur S. Sekhon, Surinder Dhanjal and Ujjal Dosanjh (Dr. Darshan Gill Memorial Award). (Not all named are in the photo).
ONTARIO REPORT – Seva Spark: A night to remember
Thankful for the overwhelming love and support from everyone at #sevaspark2018Sharing last nights $50,000 donation dance off between Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario) – Parti libéral du Canada (Ontario) Minister of Innovation, Science and Evonomic Development Navdeep Bains and Federal leader of Canada’s NDP / Le NPD du Canada Jagmeet Singh captured by COL Films Inc. ?Best non-partisan highlight of the evening and it was a tie! Missed out last night? Donate online and be a part of Team Seva’s fight against hunger:https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/12492
Posted by Seva Food Bank on Saturday, May 26, 2018
COL Films Inc.
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario: Seva Spark was the place to be on May 25.
Politicians from all levels of government, including Minister of Innovation, Science and
Economic Development Navdeep Bains; Leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party Jagmeet
Singh; Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne; and Brampton Mayor Linda Jeffrey attended the
Gala evening.
“The 2018 Gala was the best ever with over 500 people in attendance,” said Sandy Grewal, 2018
Seva Spark Co-chair. “We raised over $100,000 in one night with $59,000 being raised by a direct on-the-spot ask.”
Bongo and B Entertainment kicked off the evening with an upbeat performance by leading the MCs into the Gala. Special guest speaker, Joshna Maharaj, inspired everyone by her work. She spoke of food and sustainability, grassroots-level food programming, and the need to develop a city-wide food strategy. The crowd was wowed by Simar, who performed songs from her recent collaboration with Fateh Doe.
One of the highlights of the evening was a dance-off between Navdeep Bains and Jagmeet Singh. The crowd unanimously agreed that the dance off was a tie.
Seva Food Bank has two Mississauga locations, where safe, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food is provided to low-income families. Each month, almost 900 clients are provided with over 50,000 pounds of food. Programs offered address the causes and consequences of hunger and poverty.
Four-time Surrey Councillor Mary Martin not seeking re-election
Photo: City of Surrey
FOUR-TERM Surrey Councillor Mary Martin on Wednesday announced that she will not seek re-election in the October municipal election.
First elected in 2005, Martin sits on the City’s finance and police committees, chairs Surrey’s Diversity Advisory Committee and Healthy Communities Partnership, and represents Surrey on the board of Metro Vancouver.
“Over the past 13 years, it has been a real honour to serve the citizens of Surrey, and to have worked so closely with Linda Hepner and Dianne Watts, two genuinely amazing mayors,” said Martin. “At the same time, I have also enjoyed working in collaboration with my Surrey First council colleagues on issues and opportunities that make our city a tremendous place to live, work and raise a family. Surrey has certainly changed over the past 13 years, and grown substantially. Families and businesses like what they see here, and that speaks volumes about our city’s potential. I also want to acknowledge and thank our city staff, everyone from the senior management team, to the many employees who work tirelessly every single day to make sure Surrey has earned its role as a great city, one with an incredible future.”
Martin said it was time for her to focus on her family, and to give others in the community the chance to step up and help shape Surrey in the exciting years ahead.
“I’m looking forward to spending more time with my husband and two little grandsons, but I am not going far,” said Martin, a Surrey resident for more than 20 years. “I love working with this incredible community and the people who call Surrey home. So, whether it’s as a councillor, or as a community volunteer, I always hope to contribute and help make a difference.”
Mayor Linda Hepner thanked Martin for her years of service, particularly her work with community volunteers, and the countless local organizations committed to building strong neighbourhoods and a healthy community.
“Mary’s passion for this city is evident in everything she does,” said Hepner. “She has spent every one of her 13 years on council working hard to make Surrey a better city, and I know I speak for the entire community when I thank her for giving so much of her time and talent to the city she loves. Mary’s range of interests and responsibilities, from city finances and healthy neighbourhoods, to regional government and the importance of sport and culture in building connected communities, says a lot about her and the pride she takes in our city.”
