YES, she’s back – after all that tearful drama when a shrewd Vancouver-Mount Pleasant MLA Kwan announced on March 21 that she would pay back $34,922 for travel expenses charged to Vancouver charity Portland Hotel Society (very conveniently blaming her ex-husband for it) and take an unpaid leave of absence as an MLA. That was all to win our sympathy and take the heat off her.
But on Wednesday, Kwan was back with NDP Leader Adrian Dix (this is the guy who was “fired after forging a memo to cover for Premier Glen Clark,” as the ad by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association put it in last year’s election) who actually had the cheek to call her “courageous” for taking responsibility for her husband’s actions! He said Kwan was “a person of honour.”
Really, Dix? According to whose standards? Yours?
I really liked the way that The Province’s Michael Smyth tore a strip off Kwan, graphically exposing her HYPOCRISY – and in the process, that of Dix and the NDP.
She had claimed that her ex-husband had told her that the trips to Europe and Disneyland with him and her two kids were not being paid by the PHS where he was director of policy research and funding development.
Smyth mocked Kwan for being so oblivious to what was taking place right under her nose (talk of an MLA being on the ball!)
Smyth noted: “Let’s assume the booze, spa visits and flowers were part of the “family portion” she thought her husband paid.
“What about the hotels? What was the room rate?
““I have no idea,” Kwan said Wednesday, even though the room rates are disclosed in the audits.
One hotel room in the U.K., for example, cost $871 a night.”
Smyth wondered if Kwan ever bothered to ask herself: “Why is a society that serves the poorest of the poor paying for such opulence?”
Then he bluntly asked: “What about the $12,028 in limousine rides society executives billed? What about the $8,395 in spa treatments?
“What about the $69,000 in bills at Vancouver’s finest restaurants, including Bishop’s, Tojo’s and Gotham Steakhouse (where a bone-in New York strip costs $61.95)?”
And – are you ready for this? – the Vancouver Sun reported that Kwan, who represents one the poorest neighbourhoods in the country, lives in a $1.9-MILLION home!
Ah, NOW, we know why Kwan thought nothing about spending so lavishly – all, of course, at the expense of the poor people!
If Kwan has an iota of shame, she should resign – but don’t hold your breath!
INDEED, the NDP’s credibility is taking blow after blow.
As I pointed out last month: “Kwan was one of the leaders of the small group of MLAs who forced then-NDP leader Carole James to step down. Many angry and bitter NDP supporters feel that if James had stayed on, the party would have been power today. James’ successor Adrian Dix completely messed up the election campaign last year.”
I wonder if at any stage she will also end up sabotaging John Horgan, if and when he becomes the next leader as is most likely at this stage.
Let me repeat what I wrote a couple of weeks ago on this issue: “The NDP’s credibility is only getting WORSE – their press statements against the government hardly evoke any interest among the general public – it’s like: We know the Liberals are a bunch of crooks, BUT the NDP are the same IF not worse!
“I also wonder to what extent the WHITE MALE MLAs have held back from attacking Kwan because of the RACE factor – especially when it also involves a female.”
And talking about ethnic stuff, what about all the attacks that the NDP’s Chinese-Canadian leaders spearheaded against then-Liberal MLA Kash Heed, who the vicious RCMP especiallytargeted because he wanted to replace them with a provincial police force? I thoroughly exposed the RCMP’s disgraceful conduct in that case.
One of the guys involved in attacking Heed was none other than Gabriel Yiu (who as the NDP candidate from Vancouver-Fraserview lost again in the last election!)
The party actually devised a scheme in which publicly-funded constituency money was used to conduct party activities such as, according to the Liberals, Yiu, more than $300,000 for multicultural outreach services.
When I questioned the then-NDP caucus chairman Shane Simpson about it last year before the provincial election, he wouldn’t tell me the exact amount paid out to Yiu. But he admitted: “I mean we paid him over five years … essentially from about 2006 until he announced his intention to seek the nomination this time, we have paid him off and on at different times contractually. … It’s a significant amount of money.” He said: “He was a contractor for our caucus.”
Interestingly, Yiu wrote a series of highly partisan articles in South Asian newspapers over the years and I still wonder why the NDP had to use a Chinese-Canadian to reach out to South Asians! Didn’t they trust their own South Asian MLAs?
PAULINE Marois, who wanted to introduce the racist and bigoted charter of values in Quebec to harass minorities, was roundly booted out by level-headed Quebeckers on Monday. Not only did her party, Parti Quebecois, get soundly thrashed, but Marois even lost her own seat and resigned as party leader.
Oops, there go all those delusional sovereignty vibes!
As I reported, Quebec Liberal Party under Philippe Couillard won a majority with 70 seats in the 125-seat National Assembly. The PQ got only 30, the Coalition Avenir Québec 22 and Quebec Solidaire three.
SFU School of Public Policy Professor Doug McArthur credited the unexpected Liberal landslide victory, as opposed to a minority win, to two things. He noted: “The election result was clearly driven by young voters under 45 years of age who didn’t want to hear about sovereignty and separation. As many younger voters in Quebec are much more supportive of multiculturalism than their older counterparts, they also didn’t support the PQ’s proposed values charter.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper noted: “The results clearly demonstrate that Quebecers have rejected the idea of a referendum and want a government that will be focused on the economy and job creation.”
Premier Christy Clark had a swipe at Marois, pointing out: “The Canada I have lived and worked in, the country that I am humbled to represent around the world, includes Quebec.”
She added: “I look forward to working with Premier-elect Couillard at the Premiers’ table on our shared goals: building a proud, prosperous and inclusive Canada.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada said the result affirms what Sikhs living in Quebec have always believed, that the people of Quebec are fair minded and share their vision of an inclusive society which respects people of all faiths and backgrounds.What Marois wanted to ban.
WSO Quebec Vice President Mukhbir Singh said, “[The] result is a rejection of the politics of division. Quebeckers want to focus on the real issues such as the economy and building a stronger Quebec. The strategy of trying to divert attention from these real issues by targeting minorities has resoundingly been thwarted.”
Indeed, both federal NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau had berated Marois for this diversion by sparking racism with her ridiculous charter of values and also her support for the Quebec soccer association’s ban on the “patka”.
MAROIS’ stupidity became such a joke that an Ontario hospital even ran an ad in a McGill University student newspaper last year to lure Quebec-trained health-care workers. The ad said: “We don’t care what’s on your head. We care what’s in it.”
Her stupidity was also highlighted by editorials in Canada’s most prestigious newspapers, The Globe and Mail and The Toronto Star.
The Globe and Mail said last year: “The Parti Québécois is playing a deeply cynical game in trying to exploit the fears and anxiety of rural Quebec (where few immigrants live), as the now-defunct Action Démocratique du Québec did to boost its popularity, spectacularly – before an equally spectacular fall.”
Wow – that’s exactly what happened this week!
That editorial also brought out another interesting aspect of the controversial move: “The notion that all religious symbols are the same is simply false. Those who observe minority religions in Quebec such as Orthodox Judaism, Sikhism and Islam believe the wearing of certain religious garb to be an obligation; by contrast, the Christian cross tends not to be worn as a consequence of an obligation. A ban is inherently unequal. In any event, small crosses would be permitted by the government.”
Ad that mocked Marois.The Toronto Star editorial at the time also exposed the follies of the so-called charter of values: “And what about officials swearing an oath on the Bible? Oops, hadn’t thought of that. “Oh my God, we’ll get back to you” on that, was all the minister in charge could manage as he unveiled an outline of his government’s “Charter of Quebec Values.””
The editorial also pointed out what the REAL problem was: “In fact, there’s little evidence of a serious malaise in Quebec society over issues of diversity. Even the Bouchard-Taylor Commission, which looked into the issue five years ago, found no actual crisis over “reasonable accommodation” but simply a need to adapt to changing realities. That’s the case in all modern societies, and Quebec is no exception.
“The real malaise is inside the Parti Québécois, which has spectacularly failed to re-ignite support for independence. The sovereignty movement has split into various factions and parties, and the PQ under Premier Pauline Marois is playing the “identity” card in an effort to persuade francophones they must unite under its banner against an imagined threat to Quebec’s mostly-undefined “values.””
Miri Piri Wrestling Club: Head Coach Sucha Mann with Justin Gill (gold) and Devin Purewal (gold & bronze) and (front) Pavan Sangha and Navdeep Toor (gold, and Cadet “Outstanding Wrestler”).
MIRI Piri Wrestling Club of B.C. won three gold medals – the most by South Asian wrestlers – at the Cadet / Juvenile Canadian Championships in Guelph, Ontario, last weekend.
Justin Gill got gold in the juvenile 69 kg category, Navdeep Toor won gold in the cadet 46 kg category and Devin Purewal bagged gold in the Greco-Roman Juvenile 76 kg category.
What is more, Navdeep Toor was also declared “Outstanding Wrestler” in the cadet freestyle competition, making their head coach Sucha Mann very proud.
Nine South Asians of other clubs also bagged gold medals, including two each from Guru Gobind Singh Wrestling Club (that also won two silver medals), Rustom Wrestling Club (that also won three silver medals), and Akhara of Champions Wrestling Club of Ontario; and one each from Abby Wrestling Club, Matmen Wrestling Club of Ontario and Alliance Wrestling Club.
The ONLY South Asian female wrestler to won a medal was Kiran Gill from Matmen wrestling Club – who won a gold medal in Freestyle Juvenile and another gold in Greco-Roman Juvenile in the 40 kg category.
Results for South Asian wrestlers:
JUVENILE MEN
76 Kg
1 Purewal, Devin – Miri Piri
46 Kg
1 Ghuman, Gurpreet – Matmen
69 Kg
1 Gill, Justin – Miri Piri
2 Benning, Amrit – Guru Gobind Singh
76 Kg
3 Purewal, Devin – Miri Piri
85 Kg
1 Randhawa, Nishanpreet – Guru Gobind Singh
100 Kg
2 Sidhu, Jimsher – Khalsa
3 Boal, Jaivir – Akhara of Champions
THE recent story of Canadian real estate developer Bob Dhillon purchasing the ‘sword of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ at auction last month for reportedly close to six figures has been making the news lately and caused a lot of excitement among the Sikh community.
Mullock’s sword.
Over the past decade or so the valuation of Sikh artifacts at auction houses around the world have gone through the roof, far exceeding the objects estimated auction value. With great enthusiasm and euphoria among Sikh collectors, the auction houses have noticed and catered to this growing phenomenon.
In 2007 a marble bust of Maharaja Duleep Singh produced in Rome in 1859 sold for a staggering 1.7 million pounds, nearly 60 times more than London auction house Bonhams had valued the sculpture at The Sikh auction market is certainly red hot, and therein lies a cautionary flag for potential investors and collectors.
Sword of Maharaj Ranjit Singh.[/caption]Noticing the extreme selling price achieved at the Bonhams auction in 2007, priemier auction house Sotheby’s tried to also cash in on the action a year later. In 2008 they offered for auction a Char-aina (literally ‘four mirrors’) body armour side plate with gold overlay Gurmukhi and floral decorations that was claimed to have belonged to Guru Gobind Singh. There was tremendous interest around the world and if this auction would have proceeded, it would certainly have set a new record. There was also a tremendous hew and cry among the Sikh community that such an important artifact should not fall into private hands. There was even a call by the SGPC for the Queen to intervene and stop the auction from proceeding.
With all the hysteria surrounding the auction of ‘Guru Gobind Singh’s armour’, Sotheby’s was forced to clarify that is was NOT the armour of Guru Gobind Singh, Sotheby’s clarified that this had been a misunderstanding and misreading of their auction item description in the catalogue. They said that they only claimed that the armour for sale had a stylistic similarity to a set of armour attributed to Guru Gobind Singh belonging to the Patiala royal family. Of course most Sikhs missed this nuance in wording.
Sword of Maharaj Ranjit Singh.
Sotheby’s released the following statement at the time, “Sotheby’s has not found or been given an evidence to indicate ownership of this piece by Guru Gobind Singh and we therefore do not deem the piece to be a relic of the Guru…The verse inscribed on the armour-plate had been originally composed by Guru Gobind Singh, although it has no necessary or exclusive connection to armour belonging or attributed to the Guru.”
Sotheby’s eventually ended up withdrawing the armour from the auction.
The lesson to be learned here is that we need to be cautious when high profile Sikh artifacts come up for sale at auction houses and make sure that there is extensive due diligence done by knowledgeable historians and subject-matter experts to thoroughly collaborate, authenticate and track the provenance of these Sikh artifacts before well-meaning Sikh collectors get into sky-high auction bidding wars.
Which brings us to the current issue of the sale of a sword attributed to Maharaja Ranjit Singh by British auction house Mullock’s.
First a little bit of background on auction houses selling Sikh artifacts. Mullock’s. In terms of selling Sikh artifacts would be considered in the third tier. Sotheby’s and Christies are the two largest powerhouses in the first tier that usually sell very important and high priced Sikh artifacts (typically in the $10,000 to $50,000 + range). Bonhams would be considered in the second tier in this hierarchy, they sell Sikh artifacts which usually sell in the $5,000 to $10,000 range typically (excluding the Duleep Singh bust of course). Then you have third tier auction houses like Mullock’s, the Sikh artifacts that they sell are typically in the few hundred dollars to $3,000. Mullock’s would be considered one tier above ebay in terms of types of Sikh artifacts that they sell and valuations realized.
So it was quite surprising to see a ‘sword of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’, such an important Sikh artifact being offered by a third tier auction house that normally deals with Sikh items worth a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. You would expect the ‘sword of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ to be put up for auction by its seller at a more high profile international auction house like Sotheby’s or Christies to maximize its sale potential. It seemed a bit odd.
I am concerned and hope that the euphoria and excitement surrounding the auction of the ‘sword of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ in not the ‘Guru Gobind Singh armour’ auction fiasco, being repeated again.
A careful reading of the Mullock’s auction catalogue description of the sword never states that it is a sword that belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh and no provenance is provided in the description connecting its past ownership to Maharaja Ranjit Singh or the royal court of the Sikh Kingdom. All the catalogue description says is, “India Punjab – Sword inscribed Maharajah Ranjit Singh – early 19th century Northern India curved talwar sword inscribed in Punjabi script inside the hilt ‘Akal Sahai Ranjit Singh Lahore’ and dated.” Furthermore the description mentions an engraving depicting the Maharaja on the blade with the label ‘Ranjit Singh’ in Gurmukhi below the image.
Sword of Maharaj Ranjit Singh.
Somewhere and somehow the jump was made by someone connecting this sword with actual ownership by the Maharaja, yet no such connection has been made anywhere in the description of the sword by Mullock’s. Once that connection was made and the media and social media started the hype that the ‘sword of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’ was being offered for sale at auction, Sikh collectors around the world became excited and it resulted in a frenzied global bidding war.
Let’s take a moment to step back and look at swords that we know where owned by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Fortunately there are a number of surviving examples with full provenance in various museum collections around the world. I know of four such swords, and I am sure there are a few more in other museums and private collections.
A sword belonging to Maharaja Ranjit Singh that he presented to Captain Robert Browne has an exquisite jade handle with rubies set in gold for eyes. In the center of the quillion is a miniature portrait on ivory of the Maharaja adorned with rubies. The steel blade is decorated with finely executed hunting scenes, while the scabbard is richly embellished with rubies and emeralds in a gold setting. This sword is in the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum in Amritsar.
Another sword belonging to Maharaja Ranjit Singh and used by him during the conquest of Kasur in 1807 has a richly decorated hilt with intricate gold koftgiri floral decorations with an inscription in gold lettering in a cartouche on the blade. The hilt also contains semi-precious stones. This sword is in the Central Sikh Museum in Amritsar.
A sword belonging to Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Wallace Collection in England features a handle of rare and exotic walrus ivory imported at tremendous cost from northern Europe. The sword also features gold, agate, pearls and semi-precious stones and a scabbard of gold.
Another of the Maharaja’s swords has a golden hilt studded with rubies and emeralds and a scabbard of gold work is kept in the Tosakhana treasury at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Besides these four swords there is also a sword belonging to Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s general, General Allard in a private collection which has an exquisite handle of ivory and gold with embedded precious stones. This sword is representative of the typical types of swords found at the Maharaja’s royal court.
All of these surviving swords that belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh have one thing in common. Although they may be different types of swords, one a shamshir, another a tulwar for example, what they all have in common is that they are bejewelled items of the highest craftsmanship imaginable, befitting a monarch.
The late Dr. Leo S. Figiel a San Francisco based collector spent a lifetime building one of the finest collections of swords belonging to the various Maharajas and rulers of South Asia. The auction catalogue of his vast collection published by auction house Butterfield in 1998 is regarded by many researchers as one of the great reference works on the swords of India (Egerton and G.N. Pant come to mind as two other important reference works). Flipping through Dr. Figiel’s auction catalog one finds the exquisite craftsmanship and the heights of the sword makers’ art that was demanded by maharajas for their personal swords.
The verified surviving swords of Maharaja Ranjit Singh are all entirely consistent with the high degree of craftsmanship and decorative art found in Dr. Figiel’s auction catalogue.
Sword of Maharaj Ranjit Singh.
Maharajas’ swords, like those owned by Ranjit Singh, were an expression of their authority through the magnificence of a finely crafted art piece as well as functional weapon. Their swords were a status symbol and no ordinary looking sword would do for a maharaja. It had to be outstanding in craftsmanship. All of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s swords were covered with gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and exotic materials including jade and ivory. Any engravings or lettering on the hilt or blade were of the highest precision. Even the scabbard of the sword was decorated with gold and precious stones.
Corroborating the physical swords of Maharaja Ranjit Singh that still survive, we also have a handful of paintings of the maharaja that are verified to have actually been done during his lifetime and which clearly show his sword in the image. Although we today have many 19th century paintings of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, many of them date to a time period after his death. Maharaja Ranjit Singh was very conscious of the small pox that his marred his face and right eye and seldom allowed himself to be painted. Of these rare early paintings, any that shows the Maharaja’s sword, typically show him wearing a decorative gold and jewelled sword and similarly decorated scabbard. For example, there is a wonderful painting of Ranjit Singh standing done between 1815 to 1820 which show his jewelled and gold sword in clear detail. Another painting dated 1830 shows the Maharaja on his throne with a decorative sword as well as a katar punch dagger. Both of these priceless paintings are preserved in the British Library. What about when the Maharaja was younger? The earliest known painting of the Maharaja dated to 1810 and showing the Maharaja meeting the Maratha chief Jaswant Rao also clearly shows a highly decorated and jewelled sword and scabbard in Ranjit Singh’s hands. This painting is in the British Library.
An examination of auction photographs of the sword offered by Mullock’s reveals a sword quite unlike any of the other known swords verified to have once belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Mullock’s sword is of a simpler and more rudimentary design. The Mullock’s sword contains no diamonds or emeralds, or rubies or gold or any precious element. The hilt contains a simple floral design in steel and the Mullock’s description states that this may be an earlier 18th century hilt. That may indeed be the case and the hilt may be from the earlier Mughal era before the Sikh Empire and may have been gold plated at one time. Unlike the jewelled scabbards of the swords of the Maharaja in various collections, the Mullock’s sword is described as having only a leather covered scabbard.
In terms of the Gurmukhi lettering on the sword, unlike the intricate gold lettering found on some of Ranjit Singh’s swords and armour, the Mullock’s sword features crudely etched lettering. Illustrations on a sword blade belonging to Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Museum in Amritsar feature a finely crafted stunning scene of various animals on the blade created by a master craftsman. By comparison the Mullock’s sword has a very crudely drawn and almost cartoon like outline of Ranjit Singh on the blade lacking any relief details, clearly not the work of a master craftsman.
The Mullock’s sword bears all the hallmarks of a sword possibly produced by a provincial craftsman for a local patron, perhaps a village chief or land lord. The craftsman many have used an older Mughal era hilt and added a sword blade and then crude letterings and illustration to the sword. It may have been commissioned by its owner as a tribute to the Maharaja or perhaps produced as a souvenir.
Mullock’s auction description indicates there is some evidence of the handle having once been gold plated at some time in the past. Gold is typically melted or removed from jewellery or an object when the value of the gold is higher than the value of the object itself. If this really was a sword belonging to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, its value as such at any given time would have been ten-fold compared to a few ounces of melted gold. The gold would never have been removed by someone unless they knew that the sword was not particularly important or valuable. The gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other precious elements have never been removed from the known surviving swords of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Painting of Majaraj Ranjit Singh
Whatever the Mullock’s sword may be, we can say with certainty that it is not consistent with the quality and craftsmanship of the surviving swords known to have belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh, or members of the royal court of the Sikh Empire.
It is very important that well-meaning Sikh collectors who are doing their best as are researchers like myself to preserve and showcase Sikh heritage, take the extra steps necessary to ensure that they do their due diligence and consult with historians and subject matter experts in Sikh artifacts before getting carried away in the enthusiasm and excitement of Sikh auctions.
Are the descriptions of items offered at auction houses always correct and can they be taken as being infallible? Not necessarily. I know this through my personal experience as I have on occasion been asked by major top tier auction houses to provide my expert opinion on specific Sikh items that they were planning on selling. In one case they had misidentified a painting of a battle scene as being Sikh soldiers, when they were actually Muslim soldiers. In another case they had erroneously described a painting as being of a Sikh Guru, when I identified it as actually a painting of a Patiala raja. In my most recent involvement last year a painting purported to be of Maharaja Ranjit Singh was actually not the maharaja at all.
Although I don’t consider myself an expert on Sikh arms and armour I am happy that I have been able to contribute something to the field with the groundbreaking exhibit ‘In Search of the Sikh Helmet’ launched at SikhMuseum.com last year. To date this research work found in the exhibit is one of the most detailed examinations of the usage of battle helmets among 19th century Sikhs, including the famed turban helmet.
As a community, we have a growing number of historians and researchers who are specialists in various aspects of our history and cultural heritage. Mullock’s is a British-based auction house and it is ironic that two of the best subject matter experts that I can think of on Sikh arms and armour are based right there as well: Runjeet Singh, a dealer who runs Akaal Arms, and passionate collector Davinder Singh Toor. Both Runjeet and Davinder are great examples of the types of folks of the highest caliber subject matter expertise that we have in our community and it is important that enthusiastic well-meaning Sikh collectors seek out such experts before investing in high profile Sikh items offered for sale at auction houses or by dealers.
BY SANDEEP SINGH BRAR Sandeep Singh Brar is the Curator of SikhMuseum.com and the creator of the world’s first Sikh website Sikhs.org
VANCOUVER POLICE BELIEVE JEWELLERY HEIST WAS BY ORGANIZED GROUP:
Vancouver Police sources tell me that last week’s Bharti Art Jewellers on Main Street and East 50th Avenue in broad daylight was the work of an organized group – not just some guys who just got together and decided to crash into the store in a truck. Sources said that this group has been active before. So let’s see what happens next. The group’s members wore ski masks and blue jumpsuits and made off with a bag of valuables, according to witnesses in Vancouver’s Punjabi Market. At least one of the robbers had a gun. Two of them went into the store while a third stayed in the truck. They ditched the truck in a nearby alley and took off in another vehicle. Some jewellery lay scattered on the street. The owner was reportedly alone in the store and was not injured, as I reported last week. (Photo courtesy CBC)
VANCOUVER SOUTH RIDING BATTLE GETS MORE PUBLICITY:
A month ago in my Rattan’s Rumble, I wrote about the dilemma that federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau faces with rival South Asian contenders in Surrey-Newton and Vancouver South ridings. And about Vancouver South, I wrote: “That’s the controversial riding where then-Liberal federal minister Herb Dhaliwal was forced to quit by that petty-minded then-Liberal leader Paul Martin who encouraged his poodles led by Shinder Purewal to take over the riding executive because Dhaliwal had been a loyal Jean Chretien supporter. Martin, after having used Purewal to do his dirty work, dumped him and parachuted NDP-turned-Liberal Ujjal Dosanjh into the riding.
“Dosanjh narrowly lost to Conservative Wai Young in the last election and with Trudeau’s popularity, the Liberals hope to win back the riding.
“The Liberals have two fresh faces: well-known Vancouver entrepreneur Barj S. Dhahan and Lt.-Col. Harjit Singh Sajjan, the first Sikh in Canada to take command of a British Columbia regiment.
“According to my sources, Trudeau actually favours Sajjan who received a prominent role at the Liberal convention in Montreal two weeks ago when he introduced the star speaker Lt.-General (retired) Andrew Leslie.
“But as Trudeau has declared that there will be open nominations, all he can do is give hints or put pressure on Dhahan through others.
“But I am told Dhahan is not one to back down and enjoys the support of the Khalsa Diwan Society’s Ross Street Gurdwara executive.”
This week, Vancouver Sun’s Peter O’Neil wrote about it in an article titled “Battle lines form in Vancouver South for Liberal nomination” with the sub-heading “Trudeau expected to push ‘star’ candidate Harjit Singh Sajjan against another Liberal hopeful, Barjinder Singh Dhahan.”
TRANSLINK ADMITS TO SCREWING UP AT SCOTT ROAD SKYTRAIN STATION:
Last week I informed Translink about a complaint by a South Asian transit user that they were often not opening the Scott Road SkyTrain Station on time on the weekends, causing passengers to miss the first SkyTrain. As I reported last week, the first SkyTrain leaves King George station at 5:08 a.m. Monday to Friday, but on Saturday the first one starts an hour later at 6:08 a.m. and on Sunday it departs two hours later at 7:08 a.m. And on top of that, thanks to Translink employees’ tardiness, passengers were getting even more delayed!
Well, Translink did a very good investigative job and sent me this report: “This is a follow-up to our conversation on April 2, 2014 regarding the opening of the grilles at Scott Road station on Saturday mornings.
“We examined our records on three consecutive Saturdays starting with March 15 and we can confirm that the Scott Road station grille opened a 6:00 am as scheduled on March 15 and 22. There was one exception, in which the grille at Scott Road opened later and this was on March 29. On this day, the grilled opened 27 seconds after the first westbound train departed the station.
“We apologize for the inconvenience this caused our customers and we will be reviewing this incident with our staff in order to improve our service.”
I had told Translink that I wasn’t sure if the passenger’s complaint was correct, but it would be good if they’d check it out and let me know.
At least now, the employees will be on the ball – hopefully.
SURREY SIX TRIAL BRINGS OUT INTERESTING FACTS:
The Surrey Six Trial has been bringing out a raft of interesting, even weird facts that have amused and even stunned people. This week, Red Scorpion gang founder Michael Le, who had earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder in a deal to testify against gang members Cody Haevischer and Matt Johnston told the B.C. Supreme Court that they used to conduct a ceremony for new members: they would make a cut on their hands and mix their blood and then burn incense to the God of Guan – the god of gangsters!
Haevischer and Johnston, are charged with six counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Another co-accused, Jamie Bacon, who will be tried separately, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Corey Lal and, along with Haevischer and Johnston, conspiracy to commit murder in Lal’s death.
The Crown says that Red Scorpions gang members went to apartment 1505 of the Balmoral Towers at 9830 East Whalley Ring Road in Surrey on October 19, 2007, to kill a rival drug dealer Corey Lal because he had failed to pay $100,000 they had demanded from him for trafficking on their turf, and they killed five others to ensure that there would be no witnesses.
Innocent victims Chris Mohan, 22, and Edward J. Schellenberg, 55, of Abbotsford and four other victims who police said led criminal lifestyles – brothers Corey Lal, 21, and Michael Lal, 26, and Edward Narong, 22, and Ryan Bartolomeo, 19 – were killed execution-style.
Le said this week that when he began dial-a-dope lines at the age of 18, just one of them got him $125,000 and $150,000 a month. He used to buy cocaine from the Triads. Now you can understand why so many kids prefer to take a risk selling drugs rather than studying for a degree that may not even get them a job! Yet joining a gang means leading a screwed-up life where even friends are ready to kill you and you have to take strong pain killers to deal with your constant fear and tension, as gang members have testified.
Not worth it at all!
JUDGE TO RELEASE DECISION IN JASSI SIDHU CASE ON MAY 9:
The decision on whether Jaswinder “Jassi” Sidhu’s mother Malkit Kaur Sidhu, and her uncle, Surjit Singh Badesha of Maple Ridge will be extradited to India in the brutal 2000 murder of Jassi, 25, in Punjab, India, is now expected on May 9. Earlier this year, in closing arguments at the B.C. Supreme Court, Crown lawyer Deborah Strachan had said that the evidence from the record of the case is that the two threatened Jassi’s new husband, Sukhwinder (Mithu) Sidhu, a poor rickshaw driver in India, on multiple occasions, telling him he would be killed because Jassi had married him against their wishes. Jaswinder was killed but Mithu survived when they were attacked in June 2000. The lawyers for the accused argued that there isn’t enough evidence against them.
TIM UPPAL TO ANNOUNCE NEW POLICY ALLOWING WEARING OF KIRPANS IN CANADIAN MISSIONS:
Tim Uppal, Minister of State (Multiculturalism), on behalf of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, will be announcing a new policy to allow the wearing of kirpans in Canadian missions abroad.
He will make the announcement on Monday at the Khalsa Community School, 69 Maitland Street, Brampton, Ontario.
OLIVER Wendell Holmes Jr., the great American Supreme Court Justice of the early 20th century, once stated that “taxes are what we pay for a civilized society.” Whether it is the roads we drive on, the schools we send our children to, the law enforcement that keeps our communities safe, or our universal access to health care, taxes are the lifeblood of what makes Canada the best country in the world to live.
As a former Member of Parliament who proudly served as a public servant, I understand the essential nature of what taxes can accomplish in terms of nation building. Canada Revenue Agency statistics show that there are a significant number of small business owners who do not stay on top of their filings, and in the years I served in Ottawa, I also encountered this difficulty. While there was absolutely no malice or intent behind the unfiled tax returns for a company that I served as a director of, this in no way lessened my obligation to adhere to the Income Tax Act.
Last month, I appeared in BC Provincial Court to take responsibility for this lapse and move forward. I pled to my mistake, paid the allotted fines, and demonstrated that all filings are now up to date and settled.
However, as someone who served constituents for several years in my time in public life, I have asked myself whether there is some way that the lessons I have learned through this unfortunate experience can benefit others.
First and foremost, there is no substitute for awareness and education. I have just taken a brief introductory course offered online by the Canada Revenue Agency (http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/dctrs/lrn-tx/menu-eng.html) about Canada’s tax system, responsible citizenship and the basics about income tax returns. This has led me to look into a wider variety of courses offered by the Chartered Professional Accountants Association (http://www.cpd.cica.ca/incometax.cfm). For small business owners, these courses are a fantastic resource, and I encourage everyone in business for themselves to make use of them.
These are steps that I am taking not to wash away the past, but rather to ensure that I build a better future in terms of my conduct. This is a process to improve myself, and make sure that previous mistakes are never repeated. I am immersing myself in the above mentioned efforts, and remain humble in my resolve to chart a new path.
In the midst of tax filing season, I cannot think of a more timely topic for discussion, and I am looking forward to continuing to participate in public dialogue on financial literacy in the months and years ahead.
My example is one that I feel many Canadians can learn from. A reliance on accountants, or income tax software, doesn’t prevent individuals like myself from learning more about how taxation in Canada works, where exactly these taxes go, and why they are so important for the benefit of all Canadians.
BY SUKH DHALIWAL
Sukh Dhaliwal is a former Member of Parliament who served the riding of Newton-North Delta from 2006 to 2011.
BRAMPTON residents, Jaspreet and Gurbhej Sran went from being new parents to also being new millionaires in the span of three weeks.
The couple, who rarely play the lottery, purchased a Lotto 6/49 ticket that won them a Free Play. It was that Free Play that won the Srans the $18,799,377.90 jackpot from the March 22 draw.
They had wide smiles as they recalled the exact moment of the win while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to claim their prize. Jaspreet had an unexplainable sensation that they were going to win something when she accompanied Gurbhej to check the ticket.
“I had a feeling we should go to the store and check our ticket,” said Jaspreet. “The self-checker said ‘Big Winner, see retailer,’ so we thought maybe we’d won $10,000. We were so surprised to find out it was much, much more!”
The couple migrated to Canada from the state of Punjab, India three and a half years ago.
Gurbhej works as a truck driver while Jaspreet is studying to become an accountant.
Cradling their one-week old baby, the sleep-starved new parents said they haven’t had much time to plot out all their future plans, but they have some priorities. They want to bring their parents to Canada to share in their joy and to help with the baby. With Jaspreet’s background in finance, investing is very important in order to secure the baby’s future. Buying a new home is also on their wish list. Gurbhej plans to buy his dream truck and continue working. They are both keen to help those less fortunate in Canada and in India as well.
THE Vancouver Police Soccer and Service Club this week held the 31st anniversary of the Paul Sanghera High School Indoor Soccer Tournament that honours a fallen member who tragically lost his life in a fatal car crash on January 8, 1982.
Windermere Secondary School hosted eight Vancouver high school soccer teams that played in a two-day, indoor soccer tournament where top players were rewarded with $3,500 in scholarships for their post-secondary education. The club is supported by the Vancouver Police Foundation and Masonic Lodges of the Lower Mainland.
Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School were the winners, with David Thompson Secondary School the runners-up.
ON January 8, 1982, Constable Paul Sanghera and his partner were working together on patrol in the area of East Vancouver known as District Three. It had snowed that night and a blanket of snow covered the roads, making them slippery and treacherous to drive.
At 1 a.m. they stopped to investigate an abandoned car at the side of the road at East 57th and Argyle Street. They both got out of their marked police car to examine the abandoned vehicle and to look for the registration papers in the glove box. They stood beside the abandoned vehicle and decided that the other constable would return to their police vehicle and call for a tow truck. As the other constable radioed in requesting a tow truck Sanghera remained beside the abandoned vehicle. Without any warning, a pickup truck suddenly came around the corner and also lost control on the icy street. The truck struck the abandoned vehicle and Sanghera. He died at the scene.
The driver was found not at fault, there were no charges and the accident was blamed on the weather conditions.
Sanghera grew up in Richmond and went to Richmond High School. He was remembered as a tenacious and keen athlete who enjoyed soccer and played on the Vancouver Police soccer team.
His death is commemorated every year at the Paul Sanghera Soccer Tournament in April.
KEN Hahn, Chair, Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation, in an email to The VOICE this week said that funds from foundation were not used to pay KPU executives.
Hahn said: “You may be aware of recent media reports about questions raised by NDP Advanced Education Critic David Eby about whether funds from the Kwantlen Polytechnic University Foundation were used to pay KPU executives. I want to reassure you that the answer to that question is no and allegations to the contrary are completely false.
“As you are likely aware, the KPU Foundation was established as an independent legal entity in 2000, with the mission of raising funds to create quality life-long learning opportunities for KPU students to achieve personal, social and career success. We are governed by a volunteer board of directors who take the upmost pride in assuring funds donated to the Foundation are used for the purpose that you made your contribution.
“Each year the Foundation is independently audited by a professional accounting firm, and in recent years KPMG has performed this service. Our financial statements can be found at kpu.ca/foundation, and within these you will see the Foundation pays no salaries. Additionally, you can visit the Canada Revenue Agency Charities listings for a full outline of KPU Foundation filings: www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charitiesandgiving. As you will note, our administration costs are 0% and our fundraising costs (for last year) were 1% or $17,749 (the expenses of our annual golf tournament that raises funds for KPU athletes).
“It is disappointing that Mr. Eby did not contact the KPU Foundation to discuss his concerns. Accordingly, I have reached out to Mr. Eby to ensure that he is aware of the facts. I took this step to protect the integrity of our organization, which we all know does so much good for students at KPU. We cherish our donors and the commitment you make to helping students. It is because of you, our donors, that many students who may not have been able to pursue higher education have been given this opportunity.”
VAISAKHI, a religious event commemorating the birth of the Khalsa in 1699, plays a key role in our society here in the Lower Mainland with its large Sikh population. It forges bonds with mainstream society by fostering a greater understanding, tolerance and acceptance of Sikhism and is one patch of the quilt that characterizes our diverse society here in British Columbia.
This year, once again hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the popular Khalsa Day parade in Surrey on April 19, which is now the largest event in North America. In order to inform, clarify and solicit community input, the organizers of the event held a press conference this week in Surrey. On panel were the members of the Surrey RCMP Inspector Garry Begg and Officer-in-Charge of Media Relations and Special Events Sergeant Dale Carr, and Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara’s Gian Singh Gill, President, Pary Dulai, organizer and committee member, and Satinder Pal Gill, long time committee member (see photo).
The organizers provided details of the Khalsa Day Parade, including security arrangements, their concern for the environment and focus on having the garbage recycled. This year as well, with over 250,000 expected to attend, they have organized a food drive for the needy.
On the question regarding rules and regulation around displays of violent images depicting Sikh history and where they draw the boundary around what is constituted as a violent image and how they navigate those decisions, Begg said: “It is not clear-cut in law, except that we have been very cooperative with the executive and it is not really the police that make the final decision. We provide a set of ground rules including some sections of the Criminal Code which relate to more than anything else – advocating for genocide, advocating violence against a particular group – that is against the law. Many of the depictions as you refer to are historical events … It is a cooperative process and we work with the executive of the temple and it’s more a matter of persuasion than it is a matter of the application of law.”
He added: “Although we do have … each person responsible with a float, sign a document indicating clearly that they agree that the purpose of the parade is cultural and religious and that they agree that nothing they display on the float will contravene any section of the Criminal Code. … I, like you, have been around for eight years of the parade and it has been much to the credit of the executive’s desire to ensure that the entire event remains a religious, cultural event and a celebration rather than an opportunity for political statements or grandstanding or anything like that.”
A reporter wanted to know what was the need to highlight a separate homeland for Sikhs at this event because it always creates a controversy when Dulai had mentioned that there would be other events pertaining to this subject.
Dulai said: “I think it has been four years now that we have not had any controversy, but I think when you are celebrating the birth … the trials and tribulations that the Sikhs have been through including 1984, they should not be forgotten and I think doing it in the way that it has been done in the last four years, there has not been an issue because everything is self-explanatory – the pictures or the text. But I think we cannot omit anything (about what has happened in Sikh history). We cannot pick and choose what we feel that we like or you like, it is very important to keep everything in context.”
One question alluding to the sensitive climate of the Indian elections was posed with concern of sentiments being provoked with possible religious or political booths being set up on the Nagar Kirtan route and how the RCMP could stop it.
Begg said: “We do not control the stages on private property, and if it was on a sidewalk that was clearly city property, then the City would have jurisdiction over that. As you know the parade route is in line with stages which are on private property and many on mall (property). We do not have any other mechanism other than the building bylaws’ safety concerns for stages put along the sidewalk.”
Someone wanted to know about how RCMP could act to prevent a clash between followers of rival parties in India.
Begg said: “Certainly the police and executive have talked about this … and of conflicting ideas. There may be some cause of concern as a result of that. … I think the event is so glorious and culturally significant I would like to think that moral persuasion can work.”
BY INDIRA PRAHST
Chair, Department of Sociology and Anthropology,
& Race and Ethnic Relations Instructor,
Langara College
