IN PHOTOS: Khalsa Day Parade organized by Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar in Surrey
Khalsa Credit Union donates $37,000 van to Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen to feed less fortunate ones
IN keeping with its mandate to help the less fortunate, feed the hungry and support the communities it serves, Khalsa Credit Union (KCU) has donated a $37,000 GMC Savanna Commercial Van to Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen (GNFK) in order to facilitate the continuance of the Kitchen’s free meals on wheels program in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver and various areas in Surrey.
The keys to the vehicle were presented to GNFK at the opening of KCUs new branch located at the corner of 128th Street and 80th Avenue in Surrey.
Established in 2007, GNFK espouses the practice of langar (free food) provided through a communal kitchen and seva (the selfless service to humanity). It represents an opportunity to extend the true Sikh spirit of helping those in need regardless of caste, colour, creed or economic status. Today, GNFK serves over 3,500 free meals every single month, with regular Sunday stops at the Carnegie Centre and twice a month at the First United Church.
“We were very pleased to be able to assist the GNFK with the purchase of this food truck as it was apparent that their previous vehicle was in need of major repairs”, said KCU Board Chairman Harinder Singh Sohi. “We wanted to do something special for the community and help fill empty stomachs of those in need of a nourishing meal”.
“In addition to the free meals, we collect and distribute 3000 toys to schools every year” said Indy Panchi, one of the GNFK Founders and current Volunteer Coordinator.” “When we were in desperate need of transportation seven years ago, KCU came through for us. Now they have done it again in 2017. We can never thank them enough for their generosity and commitment to those in need.”
“We know this organization and its people very well and are aware of the wonderful work they do throughout the Lower Mainland. So it was a donation that we knew was going to a good cause and would result in a significant return for humanity”, noted KCU Chief Executive Officer Dalbir Singh Mehta.
KCU is a full service credit union that has been serving members of the Sikh community for more than 30 years. With over $421 million in assets and nearly 15,000 members. KCU is the world’s largest Sikh owned financial institution.
Horgan will replace Pattullo Bridge, fully fund province’s share of 10-year transit plan
NDP Leader John Horgan on Friday pledged to relieve congestion for people stuck in traffic across the Lower Mainland at a campaign stop at Vancouver City Hall.
Horgan announced he will partner with mayors across the region, fully funding the province’s share of the 10-year transit plan, including immediately beginning work to replace the Pattullo Bridge.
“Christy Clark’s roadblocks have gotten in the way for too long. I’ll work collaboratively with the mayors in the Lower Mainland to get BC moving,” said Horgan. “Unlike Christy Clark, we will fund the province’s full share of the Mayors’ Council’s 10-year plan for transit and transportation in the Lower Mainland.
“We’ll put people to work building a replacement for the Pattullo Bridge, building new light rail in Surrey, and building the Broadway Skytrain extension, along with many more priority projects identified by the mayors.
“Less traffic means more time with family, less carbon pollution from idling cars, and more liveable communities.”
Horgan said he will get BC moving by:
- Funding the mayors’ plan with 40 per cent of provincial funding for all projects, not hand-picked ones like Christy Clark is doing
- Immediately getting to work on the Pattullo Bridge replacement
- Committing $300 million per year over 10 years to relieve congestion in the Lower Mainland funded from the BC NDP’s $10 billion capital infrastructure plan
- Working collaboratively with Metro Vancouver mayors on implementing their 10-year vision for transit and transportation, and challenging them to take it further over the following 10 years
- Using Project Labour Agreements and requiring apprenticeships on projects built with public money
He said: “Now is the time to set out a bold vision for the future. Our plan will make BC a full partner in these projects – alongside federal and local governments – as we grow the economy, fight climate change, and create good, sustainable jobs.”
The NDP noted that Horgan previously committed to make life more affordable for commuters in Surrey and Maple Ridge by removing tolls from the Port Mann and Golden Ears bridges, and pledging to work collaboratively with the majors on a fair and equitable long-term plan for transit funding to relieve congestion going forward.
B.C. EVENTS: For the week of Saturday, April 22
(These are FREE listings. Your submission must be emailed by Wednesday night in typed form. Please do not send posters. Email: [email protected])
Surrey Food Bank: Surrey Vaisakhi Parade
Bring a loonie to donate at Surrey’s Vaisakhi Parade on Saturday, April 22. Every $1 donation buys $3 worth of food. Look for our volunteers or drop off your donations at any RBC Branch in Surrey throughout April. www.surreyfoodbank.org
Surrey’s Party for the Planet
The performance schedule, activity site map and tree and plant sale details for Party for the Planet—BC’s largest Earth Day celebration—happening Saturday, April 22 at Surrey City Hall Plaza, 13450 104th Avenue, Surrey. are now available for download at www.surrey.ca/partyfortheplanet. The free family-friendly festival includes performances by headliner Shawn Hook, Virginia to Vegas, Willa, Kutapira, Ben Dunnill, Will Stroet and more. In addition to over 80 activity booths, food trucks, a rock climbing wall and four concert stages, attendees can visit the new Canada 150 Zone and Environmental Extravaganza activation. The cash and carry tree and plant sale, featuring a variety of fruit, deciduous, flowering and evergreen trees for $20 and plants for $2 and $4, opens at 9 a.m. The main festival is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Attendance is expected to reach over 20,000. Visitors are encouraged to walk, cycle or take public transportation.
Surrey Art Gallery: Vaisakhi
Passionate Colours: April 22−July 14. Opening reception and Vaisakhi celebration on April 26, 7−9 p.m. Just in time for the spring harvest festival of Vaisakhi, the South Asian Artists Guild will be launching an exhibit at Surrey Art Gallery that embodies a zest for life and passion for colour. The artists in Passionate Colours are: Shital Anmol, Gunwant Bassi, Sanjoy Das, Vipin Kapoor, Baljit Kaur, Bindoo Matharu, Jay Panesar, Jarnail Singh, Navalpreet Rangi, Neeti Singh, Parminder Singh, and Mandeep Wirk. Surrey Art Gallery at 13750 88th Avenue, Surrey. Phone: 604-501-5566 / surrey.ca/artgallery. Hours: Tuesday-Thursday 9 a.m.-9 p.m. / Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. / Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. / Sunday 12-5 p.m. / Closed Mondays and holidays.
South Asian Seniors: Playing Cards
Vedic Seniors Parivar Center of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian adults and seniors to come and play cards in groups of four to help preserve mental health and positive changes to the brain (memory) on Sunday, April 23, 2-3:30 p.m. at Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple at 8321 140th Street, Surrey. Tea and snacks will be served. Contact coordinator Surendra Handa at 604-507-9945 for further information.
Surrey Board of Trade: New BC RCMP Leader
On Tuesday, April 25, the Surrey Board of Trade will host a business luncheon event featuring Deputy Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr, the new leader of the BC RCMP. Attendees will learn more about who Butterworth-Carr is, her background, her plans for the BC RCMP under her leadership, and will discuss the business community’s role is in crime prevention and public safety. Location: Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel (15269 104th Avenue, Surrey). Time: Lunch and Registration 11:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.; Program 12 – 1:30 p.m. Admission: $50 + GST each (member) or $65 + GST each (non-member).
Vancouver Sun Run
The 2017 Vancouver Sun Run will be taking place on Sunday, April 23 at 9 a.m. in downtown Vancouver. The 2.5K Shaw Mini Sun Run starts at 8 a.m. For more information, visit vancouversunrun.com or call 604-689-9441.
Surrey Board of Trade: Election Candidates Business Dialogue
The Surrey Board of Trade, in partnership with the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board, is holding a Provincial Election Candidates Business Dialogue on Wednesday, April 26. Time: 5:30 p.m. – Registration; 6-8 p.m. – Program. Location: Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, 15269 104th Avenue, Surrey. Free, but registration required at [email protected] or online. Hear candidates from the Green Party, Liberal Party and NDP of all nine Surrey ridings answer questions from the business community. There will be no questions from the floor. Send your questions to [email protected] by Friday, April 21 for consideration.
South Asian Seniors: Energizing Chair Yoga
Vedic Seniors Parivar Center of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites all members to attend a special extra class – Energizing Chair Yoga for Seniors by new yoga instructor Meenakshi Kalsi on Thursday, April 27, 10:30-11:30 a.m. at Shanti Niketan Hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple at 8321 140th Street, Surrey. This is in addition to the regular yoga classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and Chair Exercise class on Fridays. Contact coordinator Surendra Handa at 604-507-9945 for further information.
2017 Delta Career Fair
The Corporation of Delta invites you to the 2017 Delta Trades and Technical Career Fair on Thursday, April 27, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. This is a free event. Situated throughout the spacious arena at Sungod Recreation Centre and in the surrounding parking lot, you can expect dozens of exhibitors offering hands-on introductions to a variety of new and unique careers. In addition to the many interactive exhibits the Show Stage is bringing along with it a variety of fascinating presentations, including the tantalizing artistry of the White Spot chefs, as well as frank, motivational talks on women in trades.The Job Fair will host different organizations with immediate job opportunities that they are looking to fill now. From 4 to 8 p.m., come interview ready and armed with your resume. The Boat Race will give students in grades 10 through 12 the chance to work alongside marine industry professionals to construct a vessel that can withstand the wild waters of Sungod’s aquatic centre. Learn more about the exhibitors, Boat Race, and Job Fair at Delta.ca/CareerFair.
Dance Canada in Richmond
Celebrate Canada’s rich multicultural diversity with Dance Canada: A Celebration of International Dance Day in Richmond on April 28 and 29. Aberdeen Centre has partnered with Sudnya Dance Academy and Clarkson Events to host this year’s celebration. The community is invited to learn a variety of culturally diverse dances through free workshops on Friday, April 28 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. and a free performance showcasing dance traditions from around the world will take place on Saturday, April 29 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Both events are open to people of all ages and abilities and will take place in the Central Atrium at Aberdeen Centre. For more information, visit iddrichmond.wixsite.com/iddrichmondbc.
S.A.F.E.S.: Film “Peepli Live”
S.A.F.E.S. will be screening the movie “Peepli Live” (2010) on Saturday, April 29, 2-5 p.m., at Room 4955, SFU Goldcorp Centre, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. In this satirical comedy directed by Anusha Rizvi, an impoverished farmer threatens to end his life, inviting attention from politicians and the media. The screening will be followed by a discussion.
Sai Japa
All devotees are invited at Hindu Cultural Society and Community Centre of B.C., 3885 Albert Street, Burnaby, to participate in Sai Japa / Bhajans on Saturday, May 6 at 5 p.m. Program: 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. – Bhajans / Kirtan. 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. – Sai Japa. 7:30 p.m. – Priti Bhojan. Contact: Rajubhai Parekh at 604-327-8259, Kantibhai Patel at 604-522-7989 or Mandir at 604-299-5922.
The Kids Help Phone
The first annual Surrey – Walk so Kids Can Talk event will be held on May 7 in Holland Park. This will be a fun family oriented event with lots of entertainment including the RCMP Marching Pipe Band, Celtic fiddle guitar duo “even Steven”, and featuring local teen sensations Ava Carich and Richard Tichleman. There will also be mascots, face painting, sports games, photo booths, a bouncy castle, food trucks, a BBQ and much more. Every year more than 10,000 youths from 183 B.C. communities reach out for help and advice from the free professional counsellors at Kids Help Phone, provided across Canada on a 24 hour, seven day a week basis. The callers have a full range of mental health issues, from anxiety, depression and suicidal feelings to bullying, harassment and family problems. Registration starts at 10 a.m. Walk starts at 11 a.m. The Kids Help Phone toll-free line is 1-800-668-6868. Website: http://org.kidshelpphone.ca/. To register for the Walk and / or donate go to https://walksokidscantalk.ca/.
Richmond-Vancouver Walk for ALS
Volunteers and families gather each year to show their support for Canadians living with ALS.
Every year, volunteers from all around the province team up with the ALS Society of BC to organize and lead a Walk for ALS. This year’s Richmond-Vancouver Walk will be held on May 13 at Garry Point Park in Steveston, Richmond. The Walk will start at 10:30 a.m., with check-in at 9 a.m. Everyone is invited and welcome to join this family friendly event.The 5km walk gives people the chance to raise funds and awareness for those living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and their families. Leading up to the event, walkers collect pledges from family, friends, and colleagues who wish to sponsor them. On the day of the Walk, participants can enjoy various activities organized by the volunteers. Proceeds from the Walk for ALS go to the ALS Society of BC to provide support for people living with ALS and to invest in research to make the disease treatable not terminal. Register today at www.walkforals.ca
B.C. Children’s Hospital
On Saturday, May 13, B.C. Children’s Hospital will be having its 18th annual Balding for Dollars main event to raise awareness and funds in support of children with cancer and blood disorders. The event is a family-friendly event, open to all ages. It will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the CFRI building on the north side of BC Children’s Hospital. Around 50 brave individuals will be coming up on stage to shave their heads or chop their locks in support of BC’s young cancer warriors and their families. There will also be live entertainment, a photobooth, fun games, great food, facepainting, Disney Princesses, arts and crafts and so much more. This is a free event to attend with food and participation in certain stations by donation. For more information, visit www.baldingfordollar.com, find us on Facebook or contact Christine Tulloch, Balding for Dollars Administrator, at [email protected]
Free Income Tax Clinic
At Richmond Multicultural Community Services. Call 604-279-7160 to book an appointment or email [email protected].
Free Income Tax Filing: Muriel Arnason Library
If your return is straightforward, and you have a low income, visit or call the library staff to book an appointment with a community volunteer to get your tax return filed free of charge. The program will run till April 24. Muriel Arnason Library is located in the Township of Langley Civic Facility at 20338 65th Avenue. Phone: 604-532-3590.
South Asian Seniors: Filing Income Tax Returns Free
Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey informs South Asian seniors that during the tax filing period they can help you to file your income tax returns for the year 2016 free of cost through the community volunteer program of Canada Revenue Agency from now to May 2 – if you are living in Surrey / Delta. The eligibility criteria are as follows: 1. Single individual with annual income limit up to $ 30,000. 2. Couples with annual income up to $ 40,000. 3. Adult with one child annual income up to $ 35,000, add the income limit by $ 2,500 for each dependent child. Interest income not over $ 1,000 and this income will be included as total eligibility. With no investment income, no rental income, no business or partnership income and no capital gain or loss. SIN card and photo ID will be required for proof. If you are eligible, contact coordinator Surendra Handa at 604-507-9945 for further information.
ESL Book Clubs: Surrey Libraries
If you would like to practice your English and make new friends, join Surrey Libraries’ ESL Book Clubs. Come practice reading, speaking, and listening in English. Readers are welcome at any level from beginners to advanced. Library books will be provided (Levels 1-4). Call or visit the libraries to register. * City Centre Library: Wednesdays, 1 – 2:30 p.m. May 24, June 21 * Fleetwood Library: Saturdays, 1:30 – 3 p.m. May 17 * Guildford Library: Thursdays, 2 – 3:30 p.m. May 4, June 1 * Newton Library: Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. April 27, May 25, June 22 * Semiahmoo Library: Thursdays, 1 – 2:30 p.m. May 18, June 15. www.surreylibraries.ca
Surrey’s 150+ Summer Day Camps
Registration is open for City of Surrey’s 150+ fun, affordable and safe summer day camps designed to keep children and teens (ages 3–18) active and engaged over the school break. Parents have the option to pay 50% of the cost at the time of registration and the remaining balance on the first day of camp. Early registration is recommended as popular day camps fill up fast. In addition to Summer Fun 1-1 and Youth on the Move for youth ages 13–18 with disabilities, City of Surrey’s variety of unique day camps include: fun zone, pre-teen road trip, leadership, 3D animation, forest adventures, ready-set-paint, photography fun, basketball, and swim and skate. Free one-to-one staff support is available for children ages 6–13 with disabilities for a limited number of weeks. Extended camp hours are available through the Camp Connections program. For complete details, visit www.surrey.ca/daycamps or call 604-501-5100.
PICS: Free Self Employment Program
Are you unemployed or working less than 20 hours per week? Are you thinking of launching your own business? Join PICS for an information session on PICS’ Self Employment Program at one of PICS Offices: * Suite 205, 12725 80th Avenue, Surrey – every 2nd Wednesday of the month, or * 8153 Main Street (near Marine Drive), Vancouver – every 3rd Wednesday of the month. All info sessions are from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. This program offers * Business Start-Up Training * Business Plan Writing * Business Advisor Support * Networking Events * Support During Business Launch Period. To attend a session, pre-register at [email protected] or 604-596-7722, ext. 150
(For more events, please visit the “Events” section of our website voiceonline.com)
Vikram Bajwa is running from Surrey-Green Timbers
BC People’s Party President Vikram Bajwa said on Thursday that he has filed his nomination to run in the Surrey-Green Timbers riding in the provincial election.
“The main issue at hand for me is to establish an independent police department for British Columbia. The RCMP have done good job, but B.C. needs to go to the next level in security and get drugs off the streets, especially in Surrey, Vancouver and Abbottsford. I feel we are ready to have an independent provincial police department in the coming years,” he said.
“I will establish another hospital in Surrey-Green Timbers with private-provincial partnership if I am elected,” he added, appealing to the people to support him as an activist, father and businessman “with political acumen” to become their MLA.
GARY THANDI COLUMN: How outdated policies and procedures kill innovation
GARY THANDI COLUMN
How outdated policies and procedures kill innovation
SEVERAL years ago, Jason Roberts, from the Build a Better Block Project, was invited by the City of Surrey to speak about ways to revitalize a neighbourhood. Roberts was asked to speak as he had direct experience in creating new life and activity into a rundown neighbourhood in Dallas, Texas.
As the Build a Better Block website notes, “The area was filled with vacant properties, wide streets, and few amenities for people who lived within walking distance. The group brought together all the resources from the community and converted the block into a walkable, bikeable neighborhood destination for people of all ages complete with bike lanes, cafe seating, trees, plants, pop-up businesses, and lighting.”
The process wasn’t easy. Roberts spoke about attending city council meetings, where eventually he discovered there were old city laws that limited community gatherings within the neighbourhood. He dug further and learned the laws had first been enacted around the 1950s and 1960s, for the purpose of keeping African-Americans from gathering together during a time this population was pushing for their civil rights. Therefore, a law designed to keep African-Americans from protesting nearly 60 years prior was now making it impossible for coffee shops to have outdoor seating outside at their establishments!
All these years this racist law had remained in effect, despite it no longer making any sense. And until Roberts came around, no one had questioned it. A rule is a rule after all – we assume it’s there for a reason. And that’s why we have so many of them, yet it’s also why so little seems to get done.
In my years in government, academia and non-profits, I have seen plenty of policies and procedures that absolutely make no sense, yet we follow them as if they are set in stone and created by some higher power. What I have noticed is that while policies and procedures are often created as a knee-jerk reaction to an event or anticipated event (like the aforementioned example, out of a fear of African-Americans gathering to fight for their civil rights), there is really no one tasked to review such policies and procedures, so they often far outlive their purpose. Sometimes their purpose wasn’t even all that clear to begin with.
When policies and procedures are created in a knee-jerk manner, which in my experience is how they typically are created, they tend to be quite sweeping and have many unintended consequences. For example, say someone gets hurt due to some workplace incident. Those in charge need at the very least show they are addressing the issue, so they devise ways to prevent that incident from happening again – yet they end up preventing many positive outcomes too.
So, social service offices become like fortresses, people are not able to do work outside the office (as it’s presumed safest inside the office), the work becomes more restrictive (because giving employees too much discretion to do the jobs as they see fit leads to, in a ‘risk managers’ view, too much risk).
Ultimately such policies and procedures lead to low employee satisfaction, more turnover, greater absenteeism and frankly does little to reduce risk (often the ‘incident’ that instigated the new policies and procedures was a fluke, one-in-a-million event, and the truth is no amount of ‘risk management’ can prevent entirely). So out of fear of a 1% chance of something happening, we have pages and pages of counter-productive and often useless policies and procedures.
And it doesn’t stop there. Risk managers, especially in government, are not concerned with effectiveness of work. If an employee, such as a government social worker, has two ways to approach their job, and one method has a 5% ‘risk’ (whatever that may look like, such as being injured or making the organization they work for potentially look bad) and a 95% chance of positive outcomes for the client they work with, and the other option has a 3% risk and only a 5% chance of a positive outcome, I bet the risk manager will go for the second option every time. Again, their job is to minimize risk, not look at the overall effectiveness of their job.
Unfortunately for our most vulnerable populations, in health care, education, criminal justice and social services we have too many risk managers who are great at their jobs.
Gary Thandi, MSW RSW, Doctor of Education candidate, is a Special Columnist with The VOICE. He writes about emotional wellness and social justice issues as they relate to South Asian communities. He is also head of Moving Forward Family Services that provides counselling and support services to anyone who wants it – without any waits. No one, regardless of their financial circumstances, will be turned away. Services are offered in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Cantonese, Farsi, Japanese, Mandarin, Russian and Vietnamese. To access services, call or text 778-321-3054 or email him at:
B.C.’s bright future – forged in iron: Premier Christy Clark
PREMIER Christy Clark on Thursday visited some of the men and women who will be building B.C.’s largest transportation infrastructure project, the George Massey Tunnel Replacement.
“As people continue to vote with their feet and build a bright future for themselves in Canada’s leading economy, the Lower Mainland is going to grow by a million people in just 30 years,” said Clark. “The George Massey Tunnel is already the biggest bottleneck in the province – and we’re the only party with a plan to replace it with a new, seismically safe bridge.”
The Ironworkers Local 97 and Local 712 – many of whose members will join the 9,000 people who will help build the new bridge – were on hand to support the project, and endorse the Liberals in the upcoming election.
“The opposition parties say they support working people – but they never support projects that get people working,” said Clark.
She pointed out that the Liberals are the only party with a plan to replace the George Massey Tunnel with a new bridge – a plan that will:
· Create 9,000 direct construction jobs and another 5,000 indirect jobs
· Make people safer on the highway;
· Save 80,000 rush-hour commuters 30 minutes every day – about 125 hours per year – they can spend with their families instead;
· Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing idling and adding HOV and transit lanes.
· Support the movement of $25 billion a year in vital goods shipped through the Asia Pacific Gateway
She noted that the George Massey Tunnel replacement project has taken shape after four years of consultation with First Nations, local governments, and key stakeholders. It includes over $500 million in transit infrastructure, and will include a multi-use pathway that will make walking and cycling viable options to cross the Fraser. Other safety benefits of the project include additional lanes, making merging and reducing collisions by an estimated 35 per cent, and wider lanes and shoulders that will improve safety and emergency response times.
The BC NDP and Green Party oppose the replacement project and would keep the seismically at-risk tunnel. They would leave drivers stuck, idling, in gridlock – and kill 14,000 direct and indirect jobs, said the Liberals.
Grade 4 student Manraj Aulakh wins ‘top poster’ prize in Abbotsford’s “Youth Making Positive Choices” program
Photos submitted
MANRAJ Aulakh, a grade 4 student of John Maclure Elementary, this week bagged the “top poster” prize in Abbotsford’s “Youth Making Positive Choices” program.
The top student entries were announced at a community Parent Forum hosted by the Abbotsford Police Department, School District 34 and the Abbotsford Police Foundation.
Bryce Matties and Russell Peters from ASIA Sumas won the “top video” prize.
The Abbotsford Police Foundation was able to fund this new APD initiative as a result of the generous donations from citizens and sponsors. The 2017 program was developed by the APD in partnership with School District 34 and was designed to engage youth in the community, empowering them to make good life choices.
The program educated students on the dangers of drug use, supported youth in developing critical thinking skills, and encouraged teens to create their own messages that inspire peers to make positive choices.
“This is a very important initiative that will help our youth stay safe,” said Kevin Boonstra, President of Abbotsford Police Foundation. “I was pleased to see so many excellent entries from across our community.”
“Parents, please, it is so important that you talk to your children about this crisis. They need to know the facts,” urged Abbotsford Police Chief Bob Rich. “The dangers of using illicit street drugs has never been greater.”
Kevin Godden, Superintendent of Schools for Abbotsford School District, added, “Through our partnerships with the police department and health authority officials, we are discovering that today’s youth are learning about drug use at an earlier age than ever before. It is important that as educators we do our part to ensure active conversations take place around the impact and prevention of drug use. Our district distributes educational information to counsellors, administrators and youth-care workers, who work directly with our students to answer questions and clarify misconceptions.”
The APF supports Abbotsford Police Department community programs and helps enable the APD to achieve their goal of making Abbotsford ‘the Safest City in BC.’ The APF motto ‘Together for a Safer Abbotsford’ embodies their key focus areas – building positive relationships, connecting police with community, and funding engaging programs.
The Abbotsford Police Foundation needs continual support in order to be able to fund APD programs that help reduce crime in our growing community. Your contribution helps them connect police with the community; builds positive relationships; and enables them to fund engaging APD initiatives. If you wish to purchase tickets to the Crime is Toast fundraiser, sponsor the event, or make a donation, visit the APF website: www.abbypf.ca
So what did you think of Thursday’s party leaders’ debate?
AFTER Thursday’s radio debate, people are hailing BC NDP Leader John Horgan for speaking out passionately for the people who have been hurt by Premier Christy Clark and her BC Liberal government for 16 years, noted the NDP on Friday as the party quoted mainstream media.
About John Horgan:
“For a lot of people who are angry at Christy Clark, he stood up for them.”
– Rob Shaw, Vancouver Sun
“If you’re mad at the government, if you think 16 years is enough, if you think it’s time for a change and you looked at that debate, I think you’re very much going to go: John Horgan, there he is right there in front of you. If you want to get rid of Christy Clark, that’s the guy you go for.”
– Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun
“Every time she started bragging about the B.C. economy… Horgan rhymed off the Liberal increases in Hydro rates, ICBC premiums, tuition fees and ferry fares. … “It may be like that in the first-class lounge, Ms. Clark, but in the rest of the world people are struggling,” he said.”
– Mike Smyth, The Province
About Christy Clark:
“She seemed to be struggling to get her message out. I was struck by how often she had to consult the hefty briefing book in front of her. Even with that backup, her answers were weak on issues like the health firings.”
– Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun
“The stale and hackneyed Liberal platform … contains almost no new promises [and] has forced her to try to fight back using the tired, Liberal strategy of drumming up fear… “It’s April, 2017,” Horgan said at one point, shutting down the attack. “What are you going to do for people today?””
– Nancy Macdonald, Macleans
“Christy Clark I think has to be a little better prepared than she was today. She seemed to wing it with a number of answers.”
– Keith Baldrey
“She did not seem as prepared… It was a bit flabbergasting to see her reading from notes at points during the debate.”
– Gary Mason, Globe and Mail
About Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver:
“Andrew Weaver was largely on the sidelines.”
– Ian Bailey, The Globe and Mail
“Weaver made a big mistake by taking such a backseat role… I think the low-key approach he took means he didn’t get the attention he could have.”
– Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun
“On the strength of Thursday’s performances by the respective leaders, I expect most voters who want to get rid of Clark would see Horgan as the stronger bet to accomplish the goal.”
– Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun
