INVESTIGATORS from the Surrey RCMP’s Robbery Section are requesting the public’s assistance to further a robbery investigation which occurred on January 15.
At about 9:30 p.m., a 46-year-old female had just parked her 2016 white Jeep Cherokee in the 15500-block of 109A Street, when she was approached by two males. One of the males demanded her keys, but the female refused.
The suspect then displayed a handgun and again demanded her keys. The female then complied and provided keys to her vehicle. The suspect then told the female driver and her 16-year-old daughter to exit the vehicle. The suspects got in the jeep and drove away.
The suspect did not point the firearm at the driver, nor were the driver and passenger injured in the occurrence. The jeep has not been located by police at this time.
The suspects are described as:
Suspect 1 – South Asian male, skinny build, wearing glasses, a grey puffy jacket and a toque
Suspect 2 – no further description other than a South Asian male
Investigators have conducted neighbourhood inquiries and canvassed the area for video surveillance. They are asking anyone who may have been in the area between 9 and 10 p.m. and has dash-cam video to contact police.
Anyone with information about this occurrence who has not already spoken with police is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca
LINDA Reid, MLA for Richmond South Centre, in a statement on Wednesday said she was encouraged to see the Legislative Assembly Management Committee unanimously approve a comprehensive financial audit of the issues raised in the report from the Speaker and added: “As the auditor conducts their investigation, I will make myself fully available. I will work with the auditor and any other investigators to ensure the protection of taxpayer dollars.”
Reid said: “I feel it’s important to respect the process of the current investigations in order to ensure the public is provided with a full account of the entire situation.”
She noted: “The BC Liberal Caucus has been calling for this action for months, and it is critical for the public’s confidence in their Legislature that we receive an accurate and independent review of spending.”
Reid’s reaction came after B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver called for her to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House and NDP MLA Garry Begg said that she must answer for her expenses and silence as the Speaker from 2013 to 2017.
NDP MLA Garry Begg said on Wednesday: “It’s disturbing that [BC Liberal MLA] Linda Reid kept silent even though she knew the [BC Legislature] Clerk may have collected over a quarter million dollars improperly. We see evidence of inappropriate spending going back years under BC Liberal speakers, and there’s still a lot we don’t know. British Columbians deserve answers from the BC Liberals about exactly what they knew and why they didn’t act.”
Begg noted that on Tuesday, British Columbians heard from Connor Gibson,the former BC Liberal caucus employee who blew the whistle on Reid, who may have been allegedly double-dipping on expense claims.
Gibson says that when he brought his concerns to Reid as well as senior BC Liberal caucus staff, they instructed him to process the claims anyways. Gibson then took his concerns directly to the Speaker’s office.
But Begg says that Reid’s involvement extends beyond her own expenses. She presided as Speaker over the Legislature from 2013 to 2017, a time in which many of the alleged incidents of inappropriate spending took place.
In January 2014, an internal report warned Reid that Craig James received a massive $257,000 payment to which he may not have been entitled. (Plecas Report, pages 44-48)
Instead of taking action, it appears Reid did nothing – and the report mysteriously disappeared from the Speaker’s vault during her tenure.
Neither Reid nor BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson has been available to media to answer questions on their party’s direct connections to the spending scandal, noted Begg.
ON January 18, the BC Supreme Court ordered that Rajdeep Kaur Khakh serve a suspended sentence of 30 days in prison. This follows an admission by Khakh that she was in contempt of a March 22, 2018 consent order enjoining and prohibiting her from engaging in the practice of medicine.
On July 4, 2018, the College of Physicians and Surgeons became aware that Khakh had administered dermal fillers numerous times at a location in Vancouver on July 3, 2018, after the consent order was entered into the BC Supreme Court.
After speaking to witnesses and collecting visual evidence, on November 7, 2018, the College filed a petition with the court seeking to have Khakh committed to prison and / or fined for contempt.
Khakh will be required to serve the prison term if she commits any breach during a two-year probationary period where she will be required to report weekly to a probationary supervisor. The court has also ordered Khakh to pay a fine in the amount of $5,000, $300 of which will go to the main witness on the contempt application who paid that amount to Khakh for the dermal filler injection, and special costs to the College.
Receiving a medical service such as injections from an unlicensed practitioner is risky and has the potential for complications, including reaction to agents, infections, or greater harm due to human error. There is no assurance that the practitioner is competent or qualified to provide treatment, or that the material and equipment used are safe, according to the College.
The College recommends that any person who is treated by an unlicensed practitioner consult with their family physician to review the treatment / procedure received and the materials used in performing the procedure. To verify the credentials and to ensure a physician is registered with the College, members of the public are encouraged to visit the online physician directory on the College website at www.cpsbc.ca.
With these actions, the College says it is confident that the public interest has been served.
ANDREW Weaver, Leader of the B.C. Green Party, on Wednesday called for MLA Linda Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House.
Weaver said in a statement: “Last night one of the key whistleblowers referenced in Speaker Darryl Plecas’ report about fiscal wrongdoing in the B.C. Legislature came forward publicly to shed light on the culture of entitlement that he allegedly witnessed. This whistleblower was allegedly dismissed for questioning the expense claims of B.C. Liberal MLA and Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House Linda Reid.
“It is for that reason that today I am calling for MLA Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House. Our focus at this time must be on restoring public trust in our democratic institutions. I cannot see how that is possible when one of the individuals named by this whistleblower is still holding a position of power and oversight in the Legislature.
“Restoring public trust must be every MLA’s priority at this moment in time. Positions such as Assistant Deputy Speaker have an even higher threshold for trust given the responsibility they hold in serving the entire legislature.
“I do not ask for this lightly. MLA Reid is the longest serving member of the Legislature. However, in light of the numerous and serious allegations of the Speaker’s report, as well as the candor of this key whistleblower, I feel strongly that it is inappropriate for MLA Reid to continue to serve as Assistant Deputy Speaker until such a time that these allegations can be fully addressed.”
VANCOUVER Police arrested 47 men in 2018 following a two-month operation that targeted people willing to purchase sexual services from youth.
“The safety of our youth is a priority for the VPD,” said Laurence Rankin, Deputy Chief Constable, on Wednesday. “Last year, our detectives led an operation designed to prevent the exploitation of youth. It resulted in the arrest of a significant number of men, from all walks of life.”
The operation was led by the VPD’s Counter Exploitation Unit with assistance from the RCMP’s Counter Exploitation team. VPD detectives posted decoy advertisements on web escort listings and social media platforms for sexual services. After prospective sex trade consumers made contact via text message, they were advised that the subject of the online advertisement was a girl between 15 and 17 years of age.
The operation was divided into two projects: Project Serrated and Project Steadfast. The online work of the detectives culminated in nine separate ‘arrest days’ when the ‘Johns’ showed up to a hotel, as arranged, for the sexual encounter.
Forty-seven men were arrested. Seven have been charged under Section 286.1(2) of the Criminal Code of Canada for ‘obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under the age of 18 years.’ VPD investigators are working with Crown Counsel on the remaining arrests and charges.
The accused include a school teacher, a school trustee, a firefighter, a tourist and a member of an outlaw motorcycle gang.
Concerning the teaching staff and firefighter accused, Rankin said their employers have been notified.
“I want to make it clear that these projects were not about sexual activity between two consenting adults. The suspects were actively seeking sex with teenagers,” noted Rankin. “Police will continue to focus their attention on those willing to prey on and exploit young boys and girls.”
Anyone with information about young people being exploited in sex work is asked to contact the VPD’s Counter Exploitation Unit at 604-717-3426, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
VANCOUVER Police are holding a press conference this morning (Wednesday) about an operation led by the VPD’s Counter Exploitation Unit that targeted people who were willing to purchase sexual services from youth.
Laurence Rankin, Deputy Chief Constable, VPD, will address the media.
MICHELLE Rempel, Conservative Critic for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, on Tuesday expressed her disgust at Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen’s response to the 2018 illegal border crosser numbers accusing the Conservative Party of wanting to “militarize the border.”
Rempel said: “I am extremely disgusted by the desperate attack against our responsible plan to secure the border from Justin Trudeau’s Immigration Minister today. Rather than solve the problem they have created, the Liberals are determined to direct attention on anything but their failures to solve this crisis. While they choose to fear monger, Canada’s Conservatives will continue to put forward pragmatic solutions to the issues that the Trudeau government has created in our immigration system.
“For two years in a row, Trudeau has allowed thousands of individuals to enter Canada illegally from safe places like upstate New York while those fleeing persecution overseas languish in refugee camps. During those two years, we have called for the loophole in the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement to be closed, suggested repealing Section 159.4 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, and called for the asylum claim backlog to be cleared.
“Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has offered precisely zero solutions to reduce the flow of illegal border crossers into Canada and has instead chosen to make permanent the abuse of Canada’s generous asylum system at a total cost to the taxpayer of $1.6 billion and counting.
“This new completely ridiculous and over the top claim is reminiscent of past failed Liberal attack ads like the 2006 ‘soldiers with guns’ ad. Conservatives know doing nothing at the border and allowing people to enter Canada illegally like Justin Trudeau isn’t an option. Renegotiating the Safe Third Country Agreement is a reasonable, practical measure to solve this problem. The Minister should focus on doing his job instead of inventing wild attacks against Conservatives.
“Canada’s Conservatives will continue to advocate for an immigration system that is planned, orderly and compassionate. We expect a higher level of discourse from this government and return to a discussion about policy, rather than desperate partisan attacks. The Trudeau government immediately close the loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement, regain control of our borders, and prioritize the world’s most vulnerable.”
REPRESENTATIVES of the Sikh community and Canadian gurdwaras met with Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale on Monday with respect to the inclusion, for the first time, of “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” in Public Safety Canada’s 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada.
In addition to being criticized for using language that unfairly stigmatizes entire religious communities, the inclusion of “Sikh (Khalistani) Extremism” is of deep concern as the report does not point to any current incident of violence or terrorism associated with the Sikh community in Canada.
Goodale heard the concerns of the Sikh community and expressed his intention to address the concerns in an appropriate manner. Representatives of the Sikh community and Canadian gurdwaras look forward to an ongoing dialogue and a timely resolution of this matter, according to a press release.
IN launching the new Canada’s Food Guide on Tuesday, federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor emphasized that healthy eating is about more than the foods Canadians eat.
The new Food Guide is an online suite of resources that better meets the needs of different users, including the general public, policy makers and health professionals. This includes mobile-friendly web content to encourage Canadians to eat healthy whenever and wherever they go.
Canada’s new dietary guidance includes concrete advice for Canadians on healthy food choices and healthy eating habits. This advice includes:
– eating plenty of vegetables and fruits,
– eating protein foods,
– choosing whole grain foods, and
– making water your drink of choice.
Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat. The Food Guide encourages Canadians to:
– cook more often,
– enjoy food,
– be mindful of eating habits, and
– eat meals with others. Canada’s Food Guide is intended for all Canadians. Health Canada says it is working to ensure that the revised Food Guide is inclusive of Indigenous Peoples, reflecting social, cultural and historical context. Additionally, Health Canada and Indigenous Services Canada are committed to working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis to support the development of distinctions-based healthy eating tools, as part of the revision process.
The new Food Guide is an integral part of Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy, which aims to make the healthier choice the easier choice for all Canadians.
Petitpas Taylor said: “Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat. It’s about your whole relationship with food. The new Food Guide gets to the heart of this relationship and gives Canadians concrete advice that they can follow to make healthy eating part of their day.”Dr. Theresa Tam, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, said: “Healthy eating is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and helps prevent chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. The new Canada’s Food Guide not only encourages healthy eating for all Canadians, but also teaches us that healthy eating is more than the foods we eat – it includes such important aspects as sharing meals with others, cooking more often and eating mindfully.”
Nathalie Savoie, CEO, Dietitians of Canada, said: “Dietitians are passionate about the potential of food to enhance lives and improve health. We commend Health Canada on taking a broader approach to eating by providing evidence-based guidance on not only what to eat but how to eat. We are also pleased to see inclusion and consideration of traditional foods, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability. Health promotion is an essential pillar in food policy and the new Food Guide tools and resources will support the creation of healthier food environments for Canadians.”
Background
The new Food Guide recommends the regular intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein foods. Among protein foods, it recommends consuming plant-based more often. Patterns of eating that emphasize plant-based foods typically result in higher intakes of:
dietary fibre, which is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, colon cancer, and type 2 diabetes
vegetables and fruit, which are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease
nuts, which are associated with decreased LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, and
soy protein, which is associated with decreased LDL cholesterol
Consuming more plant-based foods could also encourage lower intakes of:
processed meats, which have been linked to an increased risk of colorectal cancer, and
foods that contain mostly saturated fat. Lowering the intake of foods that contain mostly saturated fat by replacing them with foods that contain mostly unsaturated fat decreases total and LDL cholesterol.
While the Food Guide emphasizes the benefits of plant-based foods, it also continues to include nutritious foods such as:
fish
shellfish
eggs
poultry
lean red meat
lower-fat milk, lower-fat yogurts, and cheeses lower in fat and sodium
Health Canada also emphasizes the regular intake of water to help reduce the amount of sugars people consume and help protect teeth from frequent exposure to sugar. Consuming foods or beverages with added sugars has also been linked to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
In recent years, Canadians have been purchasing more highly processed foods. When these foods are consumed on a regular basis, they can contribute to excess intake of sodium, sugars or saturated fat, which are all linked to chronic disease.
