Horgan connecting with British Columbians, but Clark ahead on economy: Poll

2 May 2017

RESEARCH conducted by Insights West for CTV Vancouver reviewed the sentiments of British Columbians on the three main party leaders, as well as accountability, energy and the environment.

Leaders

The survey asked British Columbians whether the three main party leaders possess specific characteristics that people may find in politicians. BC New Democratic Party (NDP) leader John Horgan was ahead of his rivals in seven categories:

* “Is in touch with the problems ordinary British Columbians face in their daily lives” – Horgan 51%, BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver 30%, Premier and BC Liberals leader Christy Clark 24%.

* “Generally agrees with you on issues you care about” – Horgan 42%, Weaver 33%, Clark 30%.

* “Can deal with labor unions effectively in the event of a dispute” – Horgan 42%, Clark 26%, Weaver 10%.

* “Shares your values” – Horgan 37%, Weaver 32%, Clark 26%.

* “Can bring the kind of change BC needs” – Horgan 36%, Clark 23%, Weaver 21%.

* “Is honest and trustworthy” – Horgan 34%, Weaver 31%, Clark 19%.

* “Can unite BC and not divide it” – Horgan 26%, Clark 20%, Weaver 17%.
Premier Clark was ahead of the other two party leaders in three categories:

* “Is a good speaker and communicator” – Clark 67%, Horgan 53%, Weaver 34%.

* “Has the right temperament to serve as Premier” – Clark 53%, Horgan 40%, Weaver 27%.

* “Is a good economic manager” – Clark 36%, Horgan 19%, Weaver 10%.
Across the province, 86% of residents believe it should be mandatory for candidates to attend at least one public debate in their riding with the candidates from other parties. Large proportions of British Columbians who voted for the BC NDP (91%), the BC Greens (88%) and the BC Liberals (83%) in the 2013 election support this idea.
In addition, 69% of British Columbians believe politicians who show up at festivals and celebrations (such as Vaisakhi) are just pandering for votes and are not truly interested in engaging with people from different cultures and backgrounds. This includes 76% of residents of South Asian descent, 70% of Europeans and 62% of East Asians.

Accountability

An overwhelming majority of British Columbians (91%) agree with having a truly transparent procurement process for work conducted on behalf of the provincial government.
More than three-in-four residents would ban out-of-province donations to British Columbia-based political parties (79%), ban all anonymous donations to British Columbia-based candidates and political parties (also 79%) and ban political parties from issuing payments or stipends to party leaders who already receive a salary as Members of the Legislative Assembly (78%, including 67% of BC Liberal voters in 2013).
Support across British Columbia increased for banning donations from corporations (77%, +7 since April 2016) and unions (73%, +6) to political parties or candidates. Three-in-four residents (75%, +9) are in favour of banning private political fundraisers where people pay thousands of dollars to spend time with elected politicians. Finally, seven-in-ten British Columbians (70%, +3) would ban former political operatives from lobbying governments and politicians they previously served.
“Following more than a year of discussions about provincial political fundraising, the proportion of residents who feel unease over existing regulations has surged,” says Mario Canseco, Vice President, Public Affairs, at Insights West. “Supporters of all three major parties are in agreement on banning big money in politics.”

Energy and Environment

The provincial government gets tepid reviews on these files, with about two-in-five residents saying it did a good job in approving the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline (39%) and taking action to reduce BC’s greenhouse gas emissions (38%).
Just over a third of British Columbians are satisfied with the provincial government’s push for the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) (35%), but fewer think it has done a good job managing BC Hydro (33%) and dealing with the proposed Site C dam in Peace River (30%).
Across the province, 20% of residents (+5 since an Insights West poll conducted in March 2016) believe LNG will bring significant benefits to all BC residents, while 40% think it will benefit only some communities and 29% foresee no benefits for most residents.
The provincial government estimated in 2013 that at least 75,000 British Columbians were going to have jobs in LNG construction projects in 2017. Only 23% of residents are “very” or “somewhat” confident that at least 75,000 LNG jobs will be created four years from now, while two thirds (68%) are “not too confident” or “not confident at all” that this goal will be met.

The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points

Sajjan Kumar ruined my life: Ex-Congress councillor to Delhi High Court

1 May 2017

New Delhi (PTI): Former Congress councillor Balwan Khokhar, serving life term in one of the 1984 riots cases, on Monday blamed his senior party colleague Sajjan Kumar in the Delhi High Court for allegedly ruining his life by making him a scapegoat.
“My life has been ruined by Sajjan Kumar and his lawyers. He (Kumar) himself escaped from conviction in the cases,” Khokhar orally submitted before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Anu Malhotra.
He was produced from jail in pursuance to a production warrant issued by the high court.
Khokhar, who is in advanced stage of life and was allowed to make submissions in person.

“Today, I do not have anything, including money. His (Kumar) lawyers have also ditched me. This case has cost me everything I had and even my agricultural land has been sold off during the trial,” he submitted in the court.
The convict made the statement on being asked by the court whether he will have his own lawyer to defend himself in three different cases reopened by it for retrial and reinvestigation or it should provide him a legal aid counsel.
Khokhar, however, said he needed some time to look for a counsel of his choice, which was allowed by the court.
The bench sought his presence on the next date of hearing in the matter on July 11.
Khokhar was convicted in a riot case in the Delhi Cantonment area in which Kumar was acquitted by the trial court.
The high court, on March 29, had issued show cause notices to 11 accused in five 1984 anti-Sikh riots cases, who were acquitted of the charges, as to why it should not order reinvestigation and retrial against them as they had faced allegations of “horrifying crimes against humanity”.
It had also asked the police to produce the complainants in the cases, along with the status of the accused, who were acquitted by the trial court in all the cases.
The Delhi Police on Monday gave details of two complainants, out of the five, and said three of them were not traceable and there was a possibility that one or two might have died. It also said that many of the accused persons have also died.
To this, the bench directed the police to produce proof of those who have died. It also asked the CBI, the prosecuting agency in the case, to produce details with regard to all the five cases which have been weeded out in 2005, so that the arguments could be heard in these matters.
The bench observed that when the trial court was of the view that murder has been committed, but not by the accused, then the records ought to have been preserved for 50 years.
Hardly any investigation was carried out and there has to be fresh probe, the bench said. It separated all the five cases and listed them on different dates for further hearing.
The bench had issued notices to 11 accused, including Khokhar and ex-MLA Mahender Yadav, on the complaints filed regarding rioting incidents on November 1 and 2, 1984 in Delhi Cantonment area.
Khokhar has been serving life term after being convicted for murder in another 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
The high court had issued the directions to “secure ends of justice” after perusing the trial court records regarding the acquittal of accused in five different cases in 1986 relating to the killing of Sikhs during the riots, which broke out a day after the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, 1984.
The trial court records were placed before the high court by the CBI during the hearing of another 1984 riot case in which the acquittal of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar and punishment awarded to other convicts, including Khokhar, is under challenge by CBI, the riot victims and convicts.
Finding fault with the trial court judgements, the bench headed by Justice Mittal had said prima facie the verdicts acquitting the accused “reflect a very perfunctory and hasty disposal of the cases which has deeply troubled our judicial conscience”.
It had observed that a prima facie consideration of the charge sheet filed before the trial court in 1985 indicated “lip service” to the duty to investigate while the judgements in the five cases reflected no steps or compliance of law and instead showed “haste to scuttle prosecutions and close trials”.
The bench had noted that trial in these cases were concluded within three to four months and the final outcome was acquittal of the accused of all the charges.

Alleged Khalistan terrorist Goldy acquitted

1 May 2017

Ramandeep Singh alias Goldy
Photo courtesy Tribune

Patiala (PTI): A court here today acquitted alleged Khalistan Tiger Force terrorist Ramandeep Singh alias Goldy in a blast case of 2010 due to lack of evidence.
Additional Sessions Judge Ravideep Singh Hundal granted him the reprieve after the prosecution could not convince the court why the eyewitnesses took so long to record their statements, defence lawyer B S Sodhi said.
On April 20, 2010, the blast rocked the Arya Samaj area – a busy market place in interior Patiala city – near the popular Satyanarayan Mandir. Seven persons, including two policemen, were injured in the blast.
Goldy was arrested by Punjab Police from Malaysia in 2014.
All the other accused were also acquitted earlier.

ACCORDING to the Tribune newspaper, Goldy was arrested at the Chennai Airport soon after he was brought to India from Malaysia in November 2014. The police had claimed that Goldy, said to be a Khalistan Tiger Force leader, was wanted for the July 2009 killing of Rulda Singh, president of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, an RSS affiliate, and the blasts in Patiala and Ambala in August 2010. The Rulda Singh case against him is still pending in a local court.

The police had alleged that soon after Rulda’s murder, Goldy had fled to Thailand, from where he went to Pakistan and underwent arms training for two weeks before returning to India.

More Canadians donated to Conservatives than to Liberals; amount raised by Conservatives almost double Liberals’

1 May 2017

MONDAY’S fundraising results are the clearest indication yet of Canadians growing tired of an out-of-touch Liberal government that serves themselves rather than serving the taxpayers, the Conservatives said. Over 30% more Canadians have donated to the Conservative Party than to the Liberals, while the amount raised is almost double the Liberals’ amount.
This is in addition to the Conservative Party announcing a record number of members joining the party to take part in its ongoing leadership race. More than a quarter of a million Canadians are now Conservative Party members.
In the first quarter of 2017, the Conservative Party raised $5.3 million total from over 42,000 contributors. By comparison, the Liberals fundraised just $2.8 million from just over 31,000 contributors, and the NDP fundraised over $900,000 from over 13,000 contributors.
“It should come as no surprise the Liberals are struggling. For months the Liberals used cash-for-access fundraisers to pad their coffers,” said Cory Hann, Conservative Party Director of Communications. “Advertised as exclusive soirées with the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers, connected insiders with deep pockets and a big stake in government decisions were able to bend the ears of the country’s most influential financial decision makers in exchange for a Liberal Party donation. These were clearly against the Liberals own ethics rules, and forced them to stop.
“The first quarter fundraising result shows what happens when Liberals have to fundraise by the rules. When they can’t rely on selling access to the Government of Canada and hiding behind fundraising numbers inflated by their cash-for-access schemes, we get a clear picture of Canadians who are fed up with a Liberal government nickel and diming them to death.”

Keep motorcyclists safe by sharing the road, says ICBC

1 May 2017

SIXTY per cent of motorcycle crashes in B.C. involve other vehicles – that’s why ICBC is urging everyone to share the roads safely with motorcycles and yield the right-of-way at intersections.

Today marks the start of Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month and, with warmer weather upon us, more riders will be hitting the road. It’s important that both drivers and riders practice safe driving to keep our communities safer.

Last year in B.C., 1,600 motorcyclists were injured in 2,600 crashes.

Tips for drivers:

Give extra space when passing a motorcycle: Allow at least three seconds following distance when you’re behind a motorcycle.
Scan intersections: As with other vulnerable road users, the majority of car crashes involving motorcycles happen in intersections. Drivers need to look out for motorcycles – especially when turning left – they can be harder to see and it can be tough to judge how fast they’re travelling.
Leave your phone alone: Stay focused and avoid distractions that take your mind off driving and your eyes off the road.
Share the road with motorcycles: If in doubt about who has the right-of-way, yield to the motorcycle.

Tips for riders:

Wear all the gear, all the time: This includes a helmet that meets DOT, Snell or ECE safety standards and safety gear designed for riding. In all weather conditions, wearing proper motorcycle safety gear is key to reducing the severity of injuries in the event of a crash.
Be bright and visible: Protect yourself and your passengers from serious injury by choosing gear that has bright colours and reflective materials.
Manoeuvre intersections safely: Especially where oncoming traffic is waiting to turn left, adjust your lane position and reduce your speed so you’ll have an escape path or time to stop if you need it.
Share the road with vehicles: Never assume a driver has seen you. They may not accurately judge your distance or speed of approach. As best you can, stay out of drivers’ blind spots.

This month, local police will be conducting two free motorcycle skills training sessions: in the Lower Mainland on May 13 and in Greater Victoria on May 14. Riders are invited to bring their motorcycles to receive coaching by police instructors and learn skill-enhancing and life-saving manoeuvres in a closed course.

Get more driver and rider tips on icbc.com.

Win a trip to Japan at Ships to Shore King of the Sea

1 May 2017

ONE very big boat. Free live music by top Canadian performers. Saturday night fireworks. Carnival rides, food trucks and the Kids Cove. Plus, a chance to win a trip for two to Japan. It’s all part of the free family fun at Ships to Shore King of the Sea this Friday through Sunday at Richmond’s beautiful Garry Point Park.

Spring has finally arrived on the West Coast and so has Japan’s “King of the Sea”, one of the world’s largest tall ships. The majestic four-masted, 361z-foot Kaiwo Maru, is the focal point for Ships to Shore King of the Sea.

Festival goers can take a photo of the Kaiwo Maru Friday to Sunday at Ships to Shore King of the Sea and share it on Instagram using the hashtag #ShipstoSky. One lucky contestant will win two roundtrip tickets to Tokyo provided by Japan Airlines; plus a seven-day Japan Rail Pass for two, two-night accommodations in Tokyo and a Sunrise Dynamic One Day Tour for two, provided by JTB/Silkway Travel.

Free public boarding of the Kaiwo Maru will be offered during the Ships to Shore King of the Sea Festival on Friday and Saturday. Advance boarding passes were snapped up quickly. A limited number of boarding passes will be available on site for Friday and Saturday on a first come first serve basis starting at 8:45 a.m. from the Ship Information Tent. Boarding passes will be limited to six per household. A standby line will also be available. Dockside viewing will also be available throughout the festival for those who don’t have a boarding pass.

Other festival entertainment will include the Sail Drill from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday when nearly 200 crew members climb high into the 180-foot high masts to unfurl nearly 30,000 square feet of sail. Festival highlights also include free headline concerts by Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Gypsies and Dear Rouge, plus a free Saturday night fireworks spectacular over the Fraser River.

Site-wide entertainment includes daily live entertainment on three stages, a Ferris wheel and other carnival rides, buskers, pop up demonstrations and hands-on activities, food trucks, a maritime-themed Kids Cove, community art installations, a marketplace and displays.

Ships to Shore King of the Sea runs Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the festival is free. For a full event schedule and additional event details visit www.shipstoshore.ca.

Parking in the festival area is limited. Visit the Getting to Ships to Shore section of the website to find the sustainable ways to commute to the event. Additional public transportation and shuttle bus service will be available. Bike valet will also be available in a securely guarded area near the festival gates.

Surrey RCMP’s new youth program has more Surrey kids seeing “blue”

1 May 2017

SURREY RCMP’s new Mini-Blue program is seeing early success with elementary school students.

The program, a “little brother” to the popular Code Blue program, positively engages youth in grades 5, 6, and 7 with Surrey RCMP officers. Mini-Blue focuses on relationship building and mentoring through fun physical activities and interactions. Participants are taught the value of teamwork, self-confidence, and physical fitness. Different themes are discussed each week including drug awareness, internet safety, leadership, and what it means and takes to be a good member of the community.

“I really like being able to ask the officers questions,” says Sukhpreet, a Grade 6 student at Strawberry Hill Elementary, as he takes a break during a recent session. “It’s lots of fun playing games and activities, but I like learning about things like honesty and integrity. I want to be a police officer one day too.”

The Surrey RCMP has a multi-pronged approach to addressing youth issues and preventing youth from getting involved in crime. A big part of that approach is building relationships with youth at a young age to support them in making positive life choices and reducing their chances of getting involved in a criminal lifestyle.

“Similar to our Code Blue program, which is offered at eight Surrey secondary schools, Mini-Blue is an expansion of our proactive approach to developing strong, positive bonds between youth and police,” says Surrey RCMP Inspector Andy LeClair, Community Support and Safety Officer. “By focusing our efforts on a younger age group, we are able to positively engage with students prior to their entry into secondary school, which is often a critical and defining year for youth.”

Mini-Blue sessions are held two days per week during the school lunch hour. The sessions give participants a body and brain boost that sets them up for an afternoon of learning. The program is currently being piloted at Strawberry Hill Elementary and Mary Jane Shannon Elementary. The two schools feed into secondary schools that offer the Code Blue program, providing the kids with continuity in their positive engagement with police.

“Our students always look forward to the days when the officers attend,” says Byron Gammel, Strawberry Hill Elementary Principal. “Many are also seeing police officers for the first time and in a very positive light, which will only benefit them as they continue down their educational and career paths.”

In addition to the weekly Mini-Blue program, the Surrey RCMP’s Youth Unit and Surrey School District ran a series of Mini-Blue sessions at 10 elementary schools over spring break. Each session was attended by 40-80 students and was well received by both youth and parents alike.

“Working with the Surrey RCMP to develop stronger connections with our students helps build trust with positive role models and sets up life-long learning opportunities,” says Rob Rai, Surrey Schools Director, School and Community Connections. “Programs such as Mini-Blue and Code Blue can have a significant impact on a child’s learning potential and can often instill added confidence to help them reach their true potential.”

Moving forward, the Surrey RCMP plans to expand the Mini-Blue program into additional elementary schools across the city.

“We recognize that youth prevention and intervention programs at an early age can have significant returns, not only for police, but for the entire community down the road,” says LeClair. “We look forward to working with our Surrey Schools partners as we continue to develop our youth programs.”

For more information on Youth Programs, visit the Surrey RCMP’s website.

Surrey RCMP looking for local detectives for Police Academy

1 May 2017

THE Surrey RCMP’s 2017 Citizen and Youth Police Academy will be running from September 13 to November 8. Youth applications are being accepted from May 1-31 and citizen applications will be available June 1-30.

The Citizen and Youth Police Academy is a nine-week course designed to give Surrey residents an inside look into policing in Surrey. This interactive learning series aims to foster a better understanding between Surrey citizens and the RCMP and explore what the community can do together to enhance public safety.

Last year, academy leaders introduced a new interactive component by having participants follow a specific case study from beginning to end to show how different units and sections at Surrey detachment work together to solve crime and prevent future criminality. Participants were introduced to a series of crimes that were connected and, through correct questioning and investigation, were given clues to assist them in advancing the investigation.

“The feedback we got was terrific,” says Surrey RCMP Sgt. Neil Kennedy, one of the organizers of the Police Academy. “Sometimes it’s not easy to see all the steps involved in police work and how much we rely on the community to help us do our job. We are always encouraged by the responses we receive and how participants understand how much they can contribute to public safety.”

Some of the feedback from participants:

“I wasn’t aware of empowering opportunities like Block Watch, and the details about your dispatch system which will make me feel less apprehensive about reporting drug usage in public spaces for what I used to think were ‘minor’ issues that the police wouldn’t have time for.”
“One comment that stuck with me is the encouragement of one of the officers to trust our instincts, and to observe and to report suspicious behaviour even if we think it might be nothing.”
“I feel more comfortable with police officers in general – they seem more real, I guess, compared to the disconnect you see between people and officers in the media.”
“I understand what the RCMP is involved with on a daily basis and how you prioritize calls and responses. I understand better what information I can provide that would be more helpful to an officer.”

Youth applicants to the Police Academy must meet the following criteria:

Completed application form (available at www.surrey.rcmp.ca from May 1-31)
In grade 10, 11, or 12 as of September 13, 2017
Student in Surrey
Complete and pass a criminal record check (no record or pending charges)
Be eager to learn, engage and participate in the course
Be available to attend all nine sessions (Wednesday evenings from September 13-November 8)

*Application deadline for youth is May 31.

Citizen applicants to the Police Academy must meet the following criteria:

Completed application form (available at www.surrey.rcmp.ca from June 1-30)
18 years of age or older as of September 13, 2017
Resident or business owner in Surrey
Complete and pass a criminal record check (no record or pending charges)
Be eager to learn, engage and participate in the course
Be available to attend all 9 sessions (Wednesday evenings from September 13–November 8)

*Application deadline for citizens is June 30, 2017.

For more information and for application information, visit www.surrey.rcmp.ca or email [email protected].

Christy Clark can’t be trusted on HST after giving opposite positions in less than two hours: NDP

1 May 2017

ON at least five occasions in this campaign, Christy Clark’s Liberals have said they are considering a value added tax (like the HST) after the election, noted the NDP on Monday.
In response to a question about the HST last week, Clark went out of her way to talk about a VAT: “The thing is though, we do know that the tax competitiveness panel came back with a recommendation for a value added tax – which is different. And so what I’ve said is, look we’ll be prepared to talk to the business community.”
Earlier Monday morning, she was asked again to rule out a value added tax. She refused to rule it out, saying she would consider it:
“We’ve said we’re going to talk about all the things that that they’ve recommended.”
An hour and 15 minutes later, under increasing pressure, she gave a completely different answer to the Vancouver Sun editorial board: “No to a value added tax.”
But during the 2009 election, the BC Liberals said the HST was “not contemplated in the BC Liberal platform.” Just one month after the election, they announced the HST.
Supporters of bringing back a value added tax have given at least $10 million to the BC Liberals since British Columbians rejected the first HST. John Winter, the architect of the “Say Anything John” campaign, is a strong advocate for bringing back the HST under a different name: “maybe we need a made in BC solution we can call by another name.”
Video of Clark and Mike de Jong saying they’re considering a value added tax (on three separate occasions) is available here: https://youtu.be/LERVj4NZ-UY

The NDP said that this leaves a few big unanswered questions for Clark:

After saying multiple times (including earlier today) that you’re considering a value added tax, why did you change your answer?
After saying multiple times that you’re considering a value added tax, how can British Columbians trust you now?
How is your promise now any different from the one your party broke in 2009?
A value added tax would mean a multi-billion dollar tax shift from business to people. Are you hiding your plans from British Columbians because you know they don’t support that?

Liberals say they will create an additional 1,000 new STEM grads across the province by 2022

1 May 2017

PREMIER Christy Clark and STEMCELL Technologies’s Chief Scientific Officer Terry Thomas at Canada’s largest biotech company on Monday encouraged more women to consider careers in tech.

“From video games to life sciences, tech is thriving in British Columbia,” said Clark. “With jobs that pay significantly better than average and make a real difference in the world, there’s never been a better time for young women to consider a career in tech.”

Founded in 1993, STEMCELL Technologies develops specialty cell culture media, cell isolation systems and accessory products for life science research – and reinvests all profits into developing products to better support the international research community.

Fifty-three per cent of all post-secondary students in B.C. are women – but only 32 per cent of graduates in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) are women. To encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM, the BC Liberal government recently invested $500,000 in scholarships through the Irving K. Barber Society to encourage women to pursue education that aligns with the needs of B.C.’s growing tech sector.

There’s never been a better time to consider a career in tech. The sector employs more than 106,000 British Columbians, making wages 75 per cent higher than average, with five consecutive years of employment growth.

One of the keys to maintaining that growth is ensuring BC’s tech firms have access to a deep pool of local talent. That’s why, the Liberals said, the provincial government has required all post-secondary institutions to include co-op programs for new technology degrees, introduced coding in grades 6 to 9, and provided training for 1,350 new and existing employees through the Canada-BC Jobs Grant.

If re-elected, the Liberals said they will:

Create an additional 1,000 new STEM grads across the province by 2022. Once those 1,000 have completed their fourth year, we will expand by another 1,000.
Double the number of placements in the BC Tech co-op grants program to train post-secondary students by 2022.
Increase the number of placements in the MITACS internship program from 500 to 800 annually by 2020.
Invest an additional $10 million in life science research chairs and post-graduate fellows, on top of the $10 million for the BC Science and Technology Research Chairs Program.
Create new STEM schools to connect high schools with post-secondary programs that support tech related industries.
Work with the First Nations Technology Council on their program Bridging to Technology.

The Liberals claimed that BC NDP and BC Greens have no concrete plan to help grow the tech sector, and that their proposed tax hikes would devastate the sector.