With one large move, Nova Scotia-based supermarket chain Sobeys has gone from a small player in B.C.’s grocery store market to one of the province’s dominant players by buying Canada Safeway for $5.8 billion.

Consumers likely won’t see big changes, according to retail consultant David Ian Gray, because Empire Co., parent of the 106-year-old Sobeys grocery chain, won’t want to abandon the goodwill that Safeway has built up through its Air Miles and Club Card loyalty programs or alienate its existing customer base.

Gray, the principal of his firm DIG360 Consulting, said Sobeys would also be wary about surrendering Safeway’s brand value, because rebranding is an expensive proposition.

Of Safeway’s 223 Canadian stores, 75 are in B.C., with 40 in the Lower Mainland alone.

“This is a very big retail story,” Gray said, adding Sobeys is “very much in competitive fight mode” against U.S. giants Walmart and Target.

The food business is getting tougher and the divide is increasing between low-end stores such as Buy-Low and PriceSmart and the higher-end stores such as Overwaitea’s Urban Fare and Whole Foods, which sell freshness and service.

Sobeys bought 20 Thrifty Foods stores in 2007 for $260 million. Today it owns 31 Thrifty Food stores, and have continued to operate them under the Thrifty brand.

The purchase will put Sobeys solidly in second place in the national grocery market, with annual revenues of $24 billion and $1.8 billion in owned real estate.

Loblaws, which operates Superstores in B.C., has annual revenue of $31 billion, Gray said.

Safeway in Canada has spruced up their stores a bit, but nothing Earth-shattering. They’re not the low-cost provider, they’re not the freshest, they’re in the middle. But the one thing they do have is a lot of real estate.

A Hindu chariot parade will be held on the streets of Greater Vancouver on August 9.

A chariot will be pulled through the streets of Burnaby as a part of the Annual Ther Festival organized by the Arul Migu Thurkadevi Hindu Society, a Charitable Organization which runs a temple in Burnaby.

Some Burnaby roads will be closed to traffic during the parade.

A few hundred people are expected to participate in the parade, which will last few hours. Burnaby City Council has reportedly approved it.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed applauded the efforts of the organizers and the Greater Vancouver community, in a statement today in Nevada (USA), for exhibiting the richness of Hinduism.

Zed explained that in ancient Hindu scripture Katha Upanishad, the concept of chariot is thus: soul is the deity, body is the chariot, and intellect the charioteer.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that it is important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations in the midst of so many distractions in a consumerist society.

Zed stressed that instead of running after materialism, we should focus on inner search and realization of ‘self’ and work towards achieving moksh (liberation), which is the goal of Hinduism.
The temple’s main deity is Sri Durgai Amman.

The temple complex is also used for weddings, aathma santhi poojas, initiating babies to solid food, education and ear piercing among other cultural activities.

Delta won’t be going through a costly by-election to fill Scott Hamilton’s council seat.

Mayor Lois Jackson has announced that Hamilton, who won the riding of Delta North for the Liberals in last month’s provincial election, has been granted his request for a leave. It takes effect from June 17 of this year to Jan. 7, 2014. After that, he’ll officially step down, but it will be close enough to the November 2014 civic election so that a by-election won’t be required.

Although he is also stepping down from his committee appointments, Hamilton still intends to take part in as many council meetings as he can, especially to ensure council has a quorum. Hamilton will not be paid during this period.

Coun. Robert Campbell said it ensures taxpayers won’t have to foot the bill for a by-election that can cost over $200,000.

Coun. Sylvia Bishop voted in opposition, saying she’s not sure Delta can be well served without a full council. She ran for the NDP against Hamilton in Delta North.

Delta is already the largest city in the province to only have six councillors, and Hamilton’s absence will leave Delta with essentially five until late next year.

Following last month’s election, Premier Christy Clark asked several of her newly elected MLAs, who were also civic politicians, to take leaves of absence from their council jobs to avoid by-elections.

Member of Parliament Nina Grewal (Fleetwood-Port Kells) is calling on the Quebec Soccer Federation torevisit its decision to ban Sikh religious headwear. The Quebec organization is refusing to follow the lead of the Canadian governing body and other provincial soccer federations and permit Sikh soccer players to play while wearing turbans, patkas, or keskis.

“I am deeply disappointed that the Quebec Soccer Federation has chosen to maintain its ban on Sikh religious headwear,” declared Ms. Grewal. “Children and their families shouldn’t have to choose between their religion and playing organized sports.”

“I have always been proud of our country’s diversity and that kids, no matter their religion or ethnicity, could play together free from discrimination of any kind. I therefore hope that the Quebec Soccer Federation amends its stand and lifts the restriction so that Sikh children can return to the soccer field.”

The Conservative Government has been a strong defender of diversity, multiculturalism, and religious freedom both in Canada and abroad. In fact, it was our government that created Canada’s first Office of Religious Freedom. We are committed to a person’s right to freedom of religion or faith. We have made it a priority to protect and promote this universal right and to promote pluralism generally as it binds our diverse peoples together and allows individuals to retain their cultural, linguistic and religious heritage within a framework of shared citizenship.

“I am not a soccer player, but I’ve watched many games, and I simply cannot understand how a turban could be seen as a safety risk,” continued Grewal. “Turbans are soft fabric and they’re not going to harm anyone. I can see no valid reason for a ban on the wearing of turbans or other religious headwear by soccer players in Canada.”

“Turbans are religiously significant to Sikhs. Sikhs have fought in both World Wars,they have sacrificed their lives for freedom and democracy, and won the highest recognitions and honours. It is time to put an end to unnecessary controversies regarding the wearing of turbans,” concluded Grewal.

In the House of Commons Jasbir Sandhu, NDP MP for Surrey North, demanded that the Minister of Transportation and the Conservative government take steps to ensure that there are no tolls for the proposed upgrades to the Pattullo Bridge.

“Residents in Surrey North agree that the upgrade is long overdue, however they are also rightly concerned about the proposed toll to pay for the upgrade”, said Sandhu. “With a toll already in place on the new Port Mann Bridge, residents of Surrey are being unfairly targeted and are running out of options to commute without being charged at every pass. The upgrade is more than what municipalities and Translink can afford. Stephen Harper and the Conservative government need to step up to the plate on infrastructure funding, and the federal government needs to pay their fair share”.
This is not the first time that Sandhu has addressed the issue of lack of infrastructure funding for British Columbians. In April, in a question posed to the House of Commons about the Conservative Budget 2013, Sandhu mentioned that cuts to infrastructure will disproportionally affect the growing areas of British Columbia.

Sandhu will be paying close attention to the outcome of the joint Pattullo Bridge Review taking place over the month of June in Surrey and New Westminster, and will be pushing hard for an outcome where Surrey taxpayers do not have the added burden of paying for another toll bridge.

Since 1910 fairgoers from across BC and around the world have made The Fair at the PNE their beloved annual end-of-summer tradition and the largest ticketed event in the province. This year The Fair at the PNE is proud to unveil a multi-million dollar entertainment lineup, including exciting new features, returning fan favourites and one of the best Summer Night Concert lineups to date. To top it all off guests of the 2013 Fair will see a 20% reduction in pricing of general admission and parking at the Fair – running August 17th to September 2nd (except Mondays August 19th and August 26th).

This year’s Summer Night Concerts lineup has something for everyone, featuring legendary classics, electronic pop, country, rock, and indie-folk music. With their smooth harmonies and catchy lyrics, The Beach Boys found early success as “America’s Band.” After numerous hits over the years, including “Good Vibrations,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Fellow inductees, The Jacksons, shot to fame with Motown favourites, “I Want You Back” and “Who’s Loving You,” and for the first time will be bringing their funky sound to the Fair. Canadian group Sam Roberts Band will have fans singing along to their Juno Award winning hit, “Bridge to Nowhere.” Melissa Etheridge’s powerful vocals will sound through the fairgrounds as the singer-songwriter takes the stage. Electronic pop artist Lights will be sure to attract the younger generation while country singer Dean Brody will have his female fans swooning. Rounding up the lineup and musical genres are Great Big Sea and blues singer-songwriter, Colin James. The Summer Night Concerts will run every evening from August 17th to September 2nd (except Mondays August 19th and August 26th) at 8:30pm on the WestJet Concert Stage.