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Watts leads in the third round as well, Stone is eliminated

FORMER Conservative MP and former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts also led in the third round with 2,469 points – 28.38 per cent of the total points.

MLA Michael Lee continued to be second with 2,264 points (26.03 per cent).

Former minister MLA Andrew Wilkinson was third again with 2,201 points (25.29 per cent).

Former minister and MLA Todd Stone was last with 1,766 points (20.29 per cent).

Stone is eliminated for the next round.

MLA and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan was eliminated after the first round in which he got 158 points (1.82 per cent).

Former minister and MLA Mike de Jong was eliminated after the second round in which he won 1,436 points (16.51 per cent).

Dianne Watts leads in the second round of BC Liberal leadership race

Photo by SUKHWANT SINGH DHILLON

FORMER Conservative MP and former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts led in the second round as well in the BC Liberal leadership race as she garnered 2,169 points – 24.93 per cent of the total points.

MLA Michael Lee was second again with 1,960 points (22.53 per cent) and former minister and MLA Andrew Wilkinson was third with 1,631 points (18.74 per cent).

Others: Former minister and MLA Todd Stone: 1,505 points (17.30 per cent) and former minister and MLA Mike de Jong: 1,436 points (16.51 per cent).

MLA and  former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan was eliminated after the first round in which he got 158 points (1.82 per cent).

Sullivan tweeted: “I’d like to thank everyone for their support and to wish good luck to the future leader of our @bcliberals Party. Our party is even stronger after this race.”

De Jong is eliminated for the third round.

 

Dianne Watts leading in BC Liberal leadership race

Photo by SUKHWANT SINGH DHILLON
Photos by SUKHWANT SINGH DHILLON

 

 

 

 

 

FORMER Conservative MP and former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts led in the first round in the BC Liberal leadership race as she garnered 2,135 points – 24.54 per cent of the total points.

MLA Michael Lee was second with 1,916 points (22.03 per cent) and former minister and MLA Andrew Wilkinson was third with 1,591 points (18.29 per cent).

Others: Former minister and MLA Todd Stone: 1,483 points (17.05 per cent); former minister and MLA Mike de Jong: 1,415 points (16.27 per cent); MLA and  former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan: 158 points (1.82 per cent).

Sam Sullivan is eliminated for the second round.

Robbery suspects arrested following crash in East Vancouver

THE Vancouver Police Department are investigating a crash involving bank robbery suspects in East Vancouver that sent four people to hospital with minor injuries.
Police received a report of a bank robbery on Commercial Drive just after 1 p.m. on Saturday. A second robbery happened 30 minutes later on East Broadway and Commercial and a description of the suspect vehicle was provided to police.
The suspects were driving a stolen Porsche Cayenne when the crash occurred at the intersection of Clark Drive and East 1st Avenue just minutes after the second robbery. Two police vehicles were able to block the Cayenne to prevent escape and officers arrested the man and woman inside.
A total of four vehicles with innocent civilians were involved in the collision. Four occupants of one vehicle were taken to hospital with what are believed to be minor injuries.
Officers from VPD’s Major Crime and Collision Investigation units are continuing to piece together what took place.

A “Made in BC” solution to ride hailing

 

 

BY RAVI KAHLON

MLA for Delta North & Parliamentary Secretary

 

Thousands of people and families rely on the taxi industry for their livelihoods

 

 

SINCE being sworn in this past summer, my New Democrat colleagues and I have been getting to work to make sure that government works for you and your family. We have been busy both inside and outside of the legislature delivering on our commitments to people in our community. This January, our government called the Standing Committee on Crown Corporations – which hadn’t met since 2008 – to address the issue of ride hailing.

The topic of ride hailing has come up and generated a lot of interest and debate amongst British Columbians. One thing is clear, people in B.C. are looking for more options for getting around quickly, safely and affordably.

Keeping that in mind, we want to ensure that we move forward in the right way. We want to ensure that proper consultation takes place. The past government moved to adopt ride hailing in haste, and little thought was put into the impact that would be felt by the taxi industry. We want to ensure that we have a “made in BC” solution that ensures a level playing field for all service providers and safety for consumers.

Finding this solution is of the utmost importance, because we know that thousands of people and families rely on the taxi industry for their livelihoods. Therefore, proper discussion must take place and recommendations from people impacted by ride hailing heard to ensure that we develop policy that creates opportunities for everyone.

For three days at the beginning of January, the all-party legislative committee sat down to achieve that goal. Amongst a diverse group of people, we heard from people representing a number of interests, including provincial government regulators, police, researchers, ride-hailing companies, transit authorities, municipal governments, and taxi associations.

We have heard what everyone has had to say, and are now using what we discussed in committee meetings to compile a report with recommendations on ride hailing. We look forward to sharing our findings with you in mid-February. We also look forward to the report compiled by Dan Hara from his review of the taxi industry, which was commissioned by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

We will bring forward policies that ensure British Columbians have access to quick, safe and affordable modes of transportation, while ensuring that there is a level playing field for everyone to make a living for themselves and their family.

 

Premier John Horgan on passing of former premier Dave Barrett

Dave Barrett, 1930-2018 Photo: Twitter / BC Legislature
Dave Barrett, 1930-2018
Photo: Twitter / BC Legislature

PREMIER John Horgan on Friday issued the following statement on the passing away of former premier Dave Barrett, who was the first NDP premier of B.C.:

“Today, B.C. has lost a giant, former premier Dave Barrett.

“His visionary leadership and unflinching commitment to the well-being of ordinary people around the province led to lasting change that shaped our province for the better.

“In just one short term, his government delivered our first modern ambulance service, the Agricultural Land Reserve and public auto insurance. We are all better off, thanks to his tireless work and immeasurable contributions to public life.

“His sense of humour and ability to command a room with his oratory was legendary. First and foremost, I will always remember his commitment to working for regular people.

“He was an inspiration to me and many other British Columbians, and I am grateful for his friendship and guidance over the years. His legacy will live on in our hearts.

“Ellie and I extend our sincere condolences to the entire Barrett family at this difficult time.”

Geoff Plant: Where membership applications didn’t meet party’s strict criteria, they were not accepted

Geoff Plant
Photo: Twitter

THE Chief Returning Officer for the BC Liberal leadership vote, Geoff Plant, on Friday said that recent media reports are a reminder that the process put in place to ensure the integrity of the election has worked. Where membership applications did not meet the Party’s strict criteria, they were not accepted, he added.
In a statement, Plant said: “This past fall, I agreed to come on board as Chief Returning Officer for the leadership vote — because as a BC Liberal Party member of many years, I wanted to ensure the process would have the integrity that all members expect and deserve. Having participated in and observed my share of elections campaigns, nomination battles, and leadership races, I have done my best to bring that experience to bear in providing advice and oversight over the past five months.

“Every party leadership race brings with it a host of challenges – including the constant struggle to balance integrity with accessibility, growing the party while ensuring the outcome reflects the will of its members. I’m writing to share with you some insight into the measures the Party has taken to ensure the outcome of the race is beyond question.

“One of our most important priorities has been the integrity of the membership database. To that end, the Party introduced stricter requirements for payment of membership fees, placed thousands of audit calls to verify individuals’ identities and contact information, and established a voter registration process that has allowed a higher level of authentication than before.

“These efforts also involved rigorous inspection of membership applications submitted to the Party by the leadership campaigns. As a result of this membership verification process, some applications from each of the submitting campaign teams did not meet the Party’s standards and were not accepted. Each of the leadership campaigns that submitted applications was informed by the Party how many of these were not accepted, and for what reasons.”

He added: “This work by Party Headquarters, and the findings that resulted, have been shared along the way with me, with Deputy Returning Officer Stacy Robertson, and with the Leadership Rules Committee – an experienced group of Party members delegated by the Party Executive to oversee the enforcement of the rules. Where necessary, we have undertaken further investigation of issues and concerns brought to our attention by Party Headquarters and by leadership campaigns.

“As the voting period draws to a close, I am confident that the Party Executive, the Rules Committee, and Party Headquarters have acted appropriately and effectively in setting and enforcing the rules of this process.

“I want to thank all members of this Party for their participation in this exciting leadership race – and I look forward to welcoming our new leader with you tomorrow evening.”

 

Yet another case of BC Liberals exploiting ethnic minorities: Todd Stone’s group forced to cancel 1,349 memberships

IT seems that the process of exploiting ethnic minorities that started with former premier Gordon Campbell and continued under former premier Christy Clark is still flourishing in the B.C. Liberal culture.

The Vancouver Sun reported on Friday on its website that B.C. Liberal leadership hopeful Todd Stone’s campaign has admitted that it was forced to cancel 1,349 memberships it signed up with improper email addresses.

Stone campaign co-chair Peter Fassbender told the Sun that the social media marketing company they had contracted – AggregateIQ – created domain names and email portals to attach email addresses to new members, who were mainly non-English speaking Chinese residents from Richmond and South Asian residents from Surrey.

Of course, Fassbender claimed that it was just “an error in judgment” and not something that was “malicious or with the intent to do anything untoward.”

The Sun reported that on January 26, the party questioned the authenticity of the memberships. Fassbender told the Sun that as soon as Stone learned of it, he asked about it and their team started to deal with it.

The rules committee of the party decided at a meeting that these memberships were invalid and the Stone campaign had no choice but to agree to cancel them.

The Sun reported: “The core of the allegations against Stone relate to his campaign allegedly registering domain names that it would use to then create numerous fake email addresses, which it would then assign to new members when registering them with the party. If true, the move could have theoretically allowed the Stone campaign to control registration on behalf of those members, collect their personal identification numbers from the party, and then vote on their behalf, which is not allowed under party rules.”

The Sun said that all this “raises questions about why Stone has spent several days publicly claiming his campaign had no more memberships disqualified than any other campaign, when it clearly had significant internal issues.”

The Sun reported that the Michael Lee, Dianne Watts, Mike de Jong and Andrew Wilkinson campaigns had co-signed a letter this week calling on the party to make public the allegations against Stone.

We will just have to wait and see what affect all of this will have on the leadership race, the voting for which kicked off at 9 a.m. on Thursday (February 1).

 

ON Saturday (February 3), we will know who the next leader of the B.C. Liberal Party.

The six contenders are former Surrey mayor and former Conservative MP Dianne Watts, MLA and former Vancouver mayor Sam Sullivan, MLAs Andrew Wilkinson, Todd Stone and Mike de Jong, all former ministers, and MLA Michael Lee.

The main show will be at the Grand Ballroom of Sheraton Wall Centre at 1088 Burrard Street in Vancouver on February 3 with doors opening at 4 p.m. and the program kicking off at 5 p.m.

At around 5:30 p.m., the first ballot results (if multiple ballots are required) will be announced. Results will be delivered ballot by ballot with brief intervals in between.

By 6:30 p.m., the final ballot result is expected to be announced, followed by the winner’s speech.

B.C. EVENTS: For the week of Saturday, February 3  

 

(These are FREE listings. Submit your event at EditorVoice@gmail.com)

 

 

Anniversary of Quebec Grand Mosque Massacre

 

Vigils are being held all across Canada to mark the first anniversary of the massacre at the Grand Mosque in Quebec last year. On January 29, 2017, Alexandre Bissonnette murdered six men while they were praying at the mosque. A vigil will be held at Holland Park in Surrey on Saturday, February 3 at 4 p.m.

 

Surrey Libraries: Lunar New Year Celebration

 

Celebrate the Year of the Dog with Surrey Libraries on Saturday, February 3, 12-3:30 p.m., at Guildford Library. Join them at this free, fun family event for cultural performances, fortune wheel, face painting, storytimes, crafts and more. Presented in partnership with Tzu Chi Foundation and S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

 

South Asian Seniors: Manage Anxiety & Stress Through Yoga

 

Vedic Senior Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian adults / senior members as well as non-members to attend a presentation on ‘Manage Your Anxiety and Stress through Yoga’ by Swami Ashwini Prajnaa, a yoga expert from First Humanity Fellowship, New Brunswick, on Sunday, February 4 at Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple, 8321 140th Street, Surrey. There will be a question-and-answer session. Tea and light snacks will be served. Contact Surendra Handa, coordinator, at 604-507-9945 for further details.

 

English Conversation Circle

 

MOSAIC: Facilitator: Jane Shim. Topics: Federal and provincial government * Illness and medical care * Banking * Library and post office * Work * Food. Language requirement: Minimum English Level 3. Wednesdays, February 7 and February 14, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Contact: MOSAIC at 304-2730. Commercial Drive, Vancouver. Shaima: 604-438-8214. sjaff@mosaicbc.org

 

Be Your Own Best Friend (BYOBF) Network

 

On Sunday, February 11 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., the Be Your Own Best Friend (BYOBF) Network is teaming up with Neighbourhood Art Studios to present The Joy of Painting where you can experience a guided painting session. Women will have the opportunity to raise their glass to a new kind of girls’ night. Enjoy an afternoon of creating art over coffee and cocktails at the Pelican Rouge Café at 15142 North Bluff Road in White Rock, guided by a professional artist, Preeti Dhillon. Meet some fabulous women and spend two hours mingling, laughing, and flexing your creative muscles. No experience is necessary and all art supplies will be provided. This is a step-by-step guided painting session. Coffee, tea and light snacks will be provided. Registration: $30 (includes art supplies). Register at www.meetup.com/Be-Your-Own-Best-Friend-South-Asian-Womens-Networking/

 

Psychology Month: Talks in Punjabi

 

Free public presentation series for Psychology Month: * Thursday, February 15, 7-8:30 p.m.: Supporting young adults heading to post-secondary by Dr. Manbeena Sekhon at VPL South Hill branch, 6076 Fraser Street, Vancouver * Sunday, February 25, 2-3:30 p.m.: Supporting young adults heading to post-secondary by Dr. Manbeena Sekhon at Newton Library, Surrey, 13795 70th Avenue, Surrey. (For info on more talks, visit www.psychologists.bc.ca or call 604-730-0501.

 

Muriel Arnason Library: Year of the Dog

 

Saturday, February 17, 2-3 p.m.: Muriel Arnason Library is celebrating its 10th annual Chinese New Year, and everyone is invited to join the library staff and some special artists  to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Come and enjoy the Chinese dance and music, make a craft and a lucky envelope, and taste some New Year’s foods. This is a free, drop-in program. All supplies are provided. Muriel Arnason Library is located in the Township of Langley Civic Facility at 20338 – 65th Avenue. Phone: 604-532-3590.

 

Lohana Cultural Association of BC

 

Lohana Cultural Association of BC invites all to Shree Jalaram Bapa’s 13​7th Punya​t​ithi on Saturday, February 1​7 at Shiv Mandir, 5600 Dorset Street, Burnaby. ​Priti Bhojan will be served from 5:30 p.m. onwards, followed by Satsang and Kirtan from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For more info, please call Vasant Lakhani at ​604-987-1925.

 

5th Annual Delta Idol Competition

 

Delta Parks, Recreation & Culture: 5th Annual Delta Idol Competition – Delta Idol 2018. Live event: Friday, February 23 at Tsawwassen Arts Centre, 1172 56th Street, Tsawwassen. If you have a passion and talent for singing, auditions, 2018. Interested in attending as an audience member? Call 604-943-9437 to purchase tickets in advance, $11 each.

 

Delta Students: Training for Emergencies

 

Are you a Delta resident in grade 10 – 12 and in need of volunteer hours?  Do you have an interest in Emergency Services?  Register for the Teen Emergency Preparedness Program and get trained for emergencies on Friday, February 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students will earn 7 volunteer hours while learning how to be prepared and protect yourself, your family and your friends in case of a disaster.  The program held at the North Delta Public Safety Building – 11375 84th Avenue, Delta, is offered by the George Mackie Library in partnership with the City of Delta, Delta Fire and Emergency Services and Delta Police. Registration is required.  For more information, and to register, contact Sylvia Hampton at sylvia.hampton@fvrl.bc.ca or call 604-594-8155.

 

(For more events, please visit the “Events” section of our website voiceonline.com)

 

Surrey man shot in targeted hit in Richmond is known to police

SHORTLY before 10:30 p.m. on Thursday (February 1), Richmond RCMP officers found a young male in the 7000-block of Westminster Highway suffering from injuries consistent with being shot with a firearm.

The 20-year-old male from Surrey was transported to hospital and is being treated for his injuries.

Richmond RCMP investigators have secured a location near the 6200-block of Lynas Lane. Officers are currently searching for evidence that may be related to this incident. The Integrated Forensic Identification Services (IFIS) and the Integrated Police Dog Services (IPDS) are assisting them.

“We believe that this shooting was targeted,” said Cpl. Shawn Hazell of the Richmond RCMP Serious Crimes Unit. “We have a number of officers investigating this matter which we believe occurred near Lynas Lane sometime last night. The victim is known to police and has been less than cooperative with us thus far. Though the investigation is in the early stages, we are canvassing the area for video surveillance or any information or evidence that could assist us.”

If anyone has information on this incident, contact Corporal Shawn Hazell at 604-278-1212. Should you wish to remain anonymous, contact CrimeStoppers by phone at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)