SITE C is the largest infrastructure project in B.C., and the largest clean energy project under construction in North America – but it’s much more than that, said Premier Christy Clark in Fort St. John on Tuesday.
“Site C means thousands of jobs and 100 years of clean, affordable, and reliable power – enough for 450,000 B.C. homes,” said Clark. “It means being ready to meet increasing demand as Canada’s leading economy continues to grow.”
As B.C. continues to build Canada’s leading economy, in the next 20 years our population is expected to grow by 1 million, and our need for power to grow by 40 per cent. Site C is the only way to reliably meet that need with clean power, she noted.
According to the Liberals, the Site C dam project means:
Jobs:
o Thousands of jobs, from construction and operations in the Northeast to goods and services contracts throughout the province.
o Over 275 B.C. businesses have participated in Site C construction
o More than $30 million in goods and services have been purchased from Peace River Regional District
Clean, affordable power:
o Enough to power 450,000 B.C. homes;
Economic benefits:
o $3.2 billion to our province’s economy;
o $40 million in regional government tax revenue;
o $2.4 million per year to the Peace River Regional District;
o $35 million in annual water rental payments to the province – equivalent to the cost of building a new middle school.
More money for communities to invest in services:
o BC Hydro has signed community benefit agreements with Hudson’s Hope, Taylor, Fort St. John and Chetwynd;
o Impact benefit agreements with the McLeod Lake Indian Band, Dene Tha’ First Nation and the Saulteau First Nation.
In January 2017 alone, Site C meant jobs for 195 Aboriginal people working for construction and non-construction contractors, 677 workers from the Peace River area, and 42 apprentices. The BC NDP and BC Greens would hand pink slips to each and every one of them, hike taxes, kill thousands of jobs, and push B.C. families to the brink, the Liberals said.
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The season is nearly upon us, which means it’s time to get in the game! This year promises to be our best season ever. With more games and programs aimed at providing the best match play opportunities and coaching, than ever before. 2017 will surely be a landmark year.
The Ontario Cricket Academy & Club program started in 2003 and has become recognized as the best in the country. We are truly leaders in the sport!
Constable Jas Dosanjh receiving his award from the Middelears at the Justice Institute.
NORTH Vancouver RCMP’s traffic officer Constable Jas Dosanjh has once again received the prestigious Alexa’s Team award for 2017. Dosanjh conducted 128 investigations of impaired drivers qualifying him as the top cop in B.C.
Four other North Vancouver officers also qualified for the yearly Alexa’s Team award. Nominations to receive the award require a minimum of 12 impaired driving investigations done in a year.
Since 2010, as a result of Dosanjh’s focus and commitment to investigations of impaired drivers, he has removed a total of 924 impaired drivers from the road, in either drug or alcohol driving offences.
‘Alexa’s Team’ honours the memory of Alexa Middelaer who was struck and killed by an impaired driver in 2008. Police officers are recognized as members of ‘Alexa’s Team’ for their work in getting impaired drivers off the road. The yearly awards are a joint project of Alexa’s parents, Laurel and Michael Middelaer, and the Justice Institute of British Columbia. This year the awards ceremony was held on Wednesday, April 12 at the Justice Institute.
“The Alexa Award Program has created opportunities for increased awareness and pride in the difficult, and sometimes thankless, work involved in taking impaired drivers off the road,” said Sgt. Bryce Petersen of the North Vancouver RCMP Traffic Unit. “North Vancouver officers are committed to making our community and its roads safer. Taking impaired drivers off the road is a vital part of that work.”
SHORTLY after 8 p.m. on Monday, a 28-year old female reported she had allegedly been assaulted by a male suspect and had fled to a house in the area near Cambie Road and Dallyn Road in Richmond to contact police.
Richmond RCMP quickly tracked the suspect to a house in the 11000-block of Cambie Road and a ful contingent of officers surrounded the house. The police were acting on information that the suspect had a rifle in his possession and allegedly made threats against the victim and other members of her family. Multiple attempts by police to have the suspect surrender peacefully were unsuccessful.
Tactical officers from the Lower Mainland ERT (Emergency Response Team) were then deployed. The ERT located the suspect hiding in the house after distraction devices were utilized. Shortly before 2 a.m. on Tuesday, a 31-year old male was taken into custody.
The police are continuing their investigating and charges are pending. The suspect is known to police.
NDP Leader John Horgan will expand BC’s apprenticeship and trades training programs, a key part of the BC NDP’s commitment to create good sustainable jobs for people.
“Apprenticeships are the best way to train the workforce of tomorrow. Christy Clark and the BC Liberals gutted the system that helped workers get training, get a job, and get certified. Completion rates went down, and jobs that would have gone to British Columbians went to temporary foreign workers,” said Horgan.
“We’re going to fix that. We will invest in the workforce of tomorrow, and train British Columbians to fill the 96,000 jobs we are going to create. With every school, hospital, highway and home we build, we will make sure there are opportunities for apprenticeships and trades training.”
Horgan’s comments followed a tour of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 115 Training Centre in Maple Ridge.
John Horgan and the BC NDP will expand skills training and apprenticeship programs to create more opportunities for people by:
Setting apprenticeship ratios on government-funded projects so that building new roads, bridges, schools and hospitals create skilled workers for the future
Providing incentives to public sector employers to hire and train apprentices
Strengthening credentialing requirements to improve safety, quality and consumer protection as we improve training
Partnering with First Nations to increase the number of skilled First Nations workers
Requiring local hiring on government projects
Providing incentives to increase the number of women in apprenticeships
BRAMPTON: On Monday, April 17 at 12:01 p.m., Peel Regional Police received numerous calls for service reporting a collision between a Go Transit bus and a transport truck, without a trailer. Police responded to the area of Dixie Road and Steeles Avenue East in the City of Brampton.
The Go Transit Bus had approximately 30 passengers on board at the time of the collision and there were no reported injuries.
Peel Regional Police arrested a 37-year-old male from Brampton. Sarwan Singh had over three times the legal limit of alcohol in his system and has been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle, excess blood alcohol, fail to remain at the scene of an accident, drive while disqualified, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Location: Matsqui Centennial Auditorium – 32315 South Fraser Way
Topic: Fentanyl
In attendance: Mayor Henry Braun
Police Chief Bob Rich
Superintendent of Schools Kevin Godden
Councillor Sandy Blue
Fraser Health
THE Abbotsford School District, along with the Abbotsford Police Department and Abbotsford Police Foundation, is hosting a public safety meeting for parents on Wednesday, April 19, from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Matsqui Centennial Auditorium.
The central theme of the event will be the Fentanyl crisis and the record number of tragic deaths that have resulted from the prevalence of this substance in street drugs.
Currently, many cities in the Lower Mainland are on track to see double the number of fatal overdoses in 2017 compared to 2016 (which was already the highest number ever seen in the province). Attend to learn more about what the police department and school district are doing and to find out how you can make a difference and reduce the risk to your child.
The evening will include recognizing the top student entries for the “Youth Making Positive Choices” poster and video contests.
The speakers at the forum will include members of the Abbotsford Police Department, the Abbotsford School District, Fraser Health and the Abbotsford Police Foundation. We will also hear from an Abbotsford parent who will share how her son’s use of illicit street drugs impacted her family.
LAST week, the federal government released a report outlining its plans to ‘reform’ immigration detention and launched an online portal for the public to give feedback on the proposals. The End Immigration Detention Network (EIDN), a detentions watchdog and detainee support group which has been working directly with detainees for four years, says the government is using double speak to obfuscate their internationally-criticized record of indefinite detention.
“Detainees have consistently told us and told the minister than they don’t need better prison conditions, they need freedom,” says Mina Ramos, an organizer with EIDN. “The government continues to refuse to end the practice of indefinite imprisonment, focusing instead on building new detention facilities.”
EIDN has consistently called for a limit on detentions to bring Canada in line with international norms. Last August, Federal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale responded to a 19-day hunger strike by immigration detainees in Lindsay’s Central Correctional Centre, by allotting $138 million to expand immigration prisons in Canada, rather than create laws to end indefinite detention.
“The Liberal government likes to talk about stakeholders and consultations but has to date refused to deal directly with concerns of immigration detainees themselves,” says Mina Ramos, an organizer with EIDN. “Instead of ‘exploring potential policy changes,’ the government needs to take concrete action before another death occurs on its watch. We need a minimum 90-day release period.”
At least 15 people have died in Canadian immigration detention since 2000. The United Nations has repeatedly criticized Canada for refusing to introduce legislation that would place a 90-day limit on immigration detention.
The government has also launched a ‘National Immigration Detention Framework Questionnaire,’ which Martin, who spent three years in detention, calls mind-boggling.
“The government is asking Canadians for their feedback? You don’t need feedback to know that you shouldn’t detain someone indefinitely without charge or trial,” says Martin, who was detained in the maximum security Lindsay superjail for 36 months.
“I didn’t need three years languishing in a prison cell, cut off from my family, missing children’s birthdays, to know that. But that’s what I went through and what all those still detained continue to go though.”
Kimora Adetunji, whose husband Olukunle is currently detained at the Central East Correctional Centre, says the strain of not knowing when her three children will see their father again is taking its toll.
“In considering real changes to immigration detention, the government also needs to reckon with the impact on people’s families and communities,” says Adetunji. “Empty promises of reform are not enough and may be too late for Olukunle and I.”
Immigration Lawyer Karin Baqi says that without a commitment to introduce a limit on detentions, the alternatives to detention talk is insufficient.
“The government is investing $138 million to expand and renovate immigration detention facilities. This signals not an exit strategy but rather the status quo,” said Baqi, who is representing EIDN in a constitutional challenge of Canada’s detention practices, which will be heard at the Federal court next month.
ON April 12, Ottawa Police responded to a call from a male who wanted to turn himself in to police for vandalizing property at an Ottawa Mosque and Islamic Centre. Investigation confirmed that a window was broken at each location and the male was placed under arrest. During the arrest he assaulted one of the arresting officers.
The Ottawa Police Central Criminal Investigations Unit announced on Tuesday that it has charged 27-year-old Shawn Le Guerrier of Ottawa with two counts of mischief and one count of assaulting police.
At last year’s Surrey Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan. Photo by Chandra Bodalia
THE annual Vaisakhi Parade (Khalsa Day Parade), taking place on April 22, will once again host a lively and celebratory event to mark the birth of the Sikh faith, is expected to draw in excess of 300,000 people to the community to celebrate and enjoy one of the most important elements of the annual event, the amazing foods of India. Each year hundreds of local business and individual families present free food offerings to the crowd in celebration of the parade.
Organizers of event, the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar, along with a number of supporting agencies including Fraser Health, the Surrey RCMP, the City of Surrey (including City of Surrey Bylaws office) are reminding businesses and individuals participating in the Parade-route kiosks and stands to observe the following:
* Drone policy. Organizers of the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade remind attendees that drones are not permitted without a permit from Transport Canada. As the parade route is within 3 km of Surrey Memorial Hospital’s emergency helipad landing site, we ask drone operators to ensure they have proper clearance.
* Check the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade website (www.surreyvaisakhiparade.com) for information on safe food handling and to download the Temporary Food Permit that must be completed prior to the event in order to serve food at the event.
(L-R) Satinderpal Singh Gill, Gian Singh Gill, Moninder Singh and Davinder Singh Grewal at Surrey Vaisakhi Parade press conference. Photo by Vinnie Combow
Representatives of the Gurdwara, Satinderpal Singh Gill, Gian Singh Gill, Moninder Singh and Davinder Singh Grewal, told the media that the main float will be at the Gurdwara at 8 a.m. and the Nagar Kirtan will start at 9 a.m. along the route they uses every year. The main stage set up by the Gurdwara will be at 128th Street and 76th Avenue. There will be a total of only 20 floats.
They thanked the community for complying with their request to not have Gidda and Bhangra with loud music on their stages along the parade route. They stressed that though these were a part of the culture, they were not something to be performed on a religious day such as this.
They requested participants to use garbage bags at all stalls and to keep all the area around the Nagar Kirtan route clean.
They cautioned women with strollers to take extra care wherever there was too much of a rush. They also appealed to people to take good care of the elderly as they may get confused and suggested they place a slip with their home address in their pocket.
There will be lost and found places set up by the Gurdwara.
In case of any medical emergency, help get the onsite paramedics there quickly.
There will be school buses to transport people from distant parking areas to the parade route. There will also be two BC Transit buses to take seniors around the parade route.
The representatives said that if any politician wanted to deliver a speech from the main stage, they must request some time for that. All parties will get the same treatment.
Party leaders will get time only to welcome the community and not indulge in politics. The stage is to tell people about the Khalsa.
The representatives also cautioned people to be careful of those asking for donations as some are genuine and some are not. ‘Donate at your own risk’ was the message.
They also urged people not to come after consuming alcohol or drugs.
They said to welcome and respect everyone and be happy.
NOTE: Anyone wishing to serve food must have a temporary hand washing area next to the food preparation area; wear gloves for all food preparation and serving; wash their hands prior to food preparation and service; keep hot food such as rice and sauces heated to a minimum of 60 degrees Celsius at all times; keep cold food cooled to 4 degrees Celsius or below at all times; have a sanitation solution at food preparation and serving locations; sanitize food cutting and preparation locations. For a full list of Do’s and Don’ts visit the website.
Due to a potential disruption to the airspace caused by a large number of balloons being released accidentally, all participants are asked to respect an absolutely “No Helium Balloon” policy. There is a serious safety concern for air traffic due to large numbers floating into the air traffic space above the Parade route. The organizers are asking for corporate and individual support in respecting the “no helium balloons” policy on parade day.
Anyone setting up a food stand at this year’s event are asked to ensure that all tents are NOT set up on the sidewalks alongside the route. This causes a significant public hazard.
For more information about the event including the parade route visit: www.surreyvaisakhiparade.com.
