First ever Muslim Miss USA opposes Ground Zero mosque( 21-Aug-2010 )Washington: The reigning Miss USA has come out against the Ground Zero mosque, saying "it shouldn't be so close" to the site of the Sep 11, 2001 terror attacks in New York. The 24-year-old Rima Fakih, is the first Muslim winner of the Miss USA contest and is preparing for the Miss Universe Pageant, to be held in Las Vegas. "I totally agree with President Obama with the statement on Constitutional rights of freedom of religion," Fakih told "Inside Edition" Friday as cited by the New York Post. "I also ....
Indian-American US football chief looks at IPL for tips( 21-Aug-2010 )Washington: Looking at the "phenomenal launch" of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Sunil Gulati, Indian-American president of the US Soccer Federation, believes that even the United States can learn a thing or two from India. "That was a phenomenal launch," said Allahabad-born Gulati, 51, credited with the rise of the US football team, in a webcast Friday over BlogTalkRadio, when asked if he could give Indians a few tips about marketing sports events. "With the commercialisation of sports, you have got to get the prod ....
Canadian man sets a fire in front of PM's house( 15-Aug-2010 )Ottawa: A man has been arrested for setting a fire in front of the official residence of Canadian Prime Minster Stephen Harper in Ottawa Saturday night. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said they found a man burning some liquid near the 24 Sussex Drive residence, but refused to comment on whether the prime minister and his family were at home when the incident occurred, Xinhua reported Sunday. Police, however, said the family was not exposed to any danger during that time, but that it prompted them to close roads in the vicinity. In 1995, a knife-wielding man broke into the prime minister's residence while then incumbent Jean Chretien and his wife, Aline, we ....
Business Strategist Geetu Pathak Joins TVO Board of Directors( 02-Jun-2010 )Toronto: The Ontario Government has appointed seasoned business strategist Geetu Pathak to the TVO Board of Directors for a three-year term. TVO informed this through a press statement issued here today. Indo-Canadian Pathak is the Founder and Director of Snowflakes, a Toronto-based award-wining baby products business. Throughout her ten-year career in Ontario, she has also held a number of senior consulting positions in the banking, transportation, logistics and high technology sectors. "As TVO forges ahead with its dynamic digital media strategy and its Go Public fundraising campaign, we will surely benefit from Geetu's depth of business experience and her st ....
Indo-Canadian businessman shot dead( 19-May-2010 )Vancouver: A Sikh youth has been shot dead in the driveway of his posh home in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. Chhminder Singh Gill, 32, who was killed Sunday, may have been targeted for his possible criminal links, local media said, though police have not said anything about it yet. A police spokesman said they are investigating his business links. “We still have a lot of work ahead of us to figure out who he is linked to and what he is up to. But definitely he was the intended target of this from what we have learned so far,” he told the local media. Gill lived a posh life with wife Jasvir in a seven-bedroom home valued at $754,000. A farmer as well as busin ....
Indo-Canadian MP named in $120 mn bank fraud( 06-May-2010 )Toronto: Devinder Shory, Canada's newest MP of Indian origin, has been named in a $120 million mortgage fraud. Shory, 51, who was elected to the Canadian parliament for the first time in 2008, is one of the nine MPs of Indian-origin in the House of Commons. A practising lawyer in Calgary, Shory was elected from Calgary Northeast, beating two fellow Indo-Canadians - Satnam Kang of the Liberal Party and Vinay Dey of the New Democratic Party (NDP). In a lawsuit Wednesday, the Bank of Montreal - which is one of the top five Canadi ....
3 Indian Canadians charged with poll fraud( 05-May-2010 )Vancouver: Three Indian-Canadian men here have been charged with poll malpractices in the last year's election campaign of Indian-origin British Columbia's former solicitor-general Kash Heed. Canada's British Columbia province is home to the largest concentration of Indian Canadians, and Kash Heed (short from Kashmir Heer) one of the three Indo-Canadians serving in cabinet posts in Canada, including federal parliamentary secretary Deepak Obhrai and Ontario provincial minister Harinder Takhar. Denying any knowledge of wrongdoings, Heed voluntarily resigned last month after police started investigating complaints of malpractices during his election campa ....
Sikh woman killed her babies before dying: Canadian police( 05-May-2010 )Toronto: A young Sikh woman found dead along with her three small children in Calgary in October killed the babies herself, according to investigations by Canadian police. Harsimrat Kahlon, 27, and the babies were found dead in their apartment Oct 5 when the woman’s partner called the police. The Chandigarh-born woman died due to childbirth complications. But before her death, she killed her children. Their bodies were found inside suitcases hidden in the basement of the couple’s apartment in northeast Calgary. Kahlon had moved to Canada in 1999. After estranging from her family, she moved out and started living with her partner Harnek Mahal in ....
Indo-Canadian on Time's list of 100 most influential people( 30-Apr-2010 )Toronto: Indo-Canadian paramedic Rahul Singh has joined US president Barack Obama, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey and Apple boss Steve Job in Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people in 2010. The Toronto-based paramedic, who founded GlobalMedic in 1998 to help disaster-hit people, has been the face of Canadian relief efforts around the world, including the quake-hit Haiti, in the past 10 years. Calling his on-going relief work in Haiti "a shining example'' of "selfless effort'', the magaz ....
RCMP taking seriously threats to Dosanjh( 26-Apr-2010 )Toronto: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said it is taking seriously death threats to Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh. The former Indo-Canadian British Columbia premier has been targeted by fundamentalist Sikhs on Facebook where a group called :Ujjal Dosanjh is a Sikh traitor" was set up. One of the comments said, "Someone shoot him - The ASAP." The comment has now been taken down. "We are aware of the threats and are taking them very seriously," said RCMP 'E' division spokesman Sgt. Rob Vermeulen. "Our i ....
Court disallows kirpan( 23-Apr-2010 )Windsor: A court here has refused to allow a Sikh religious leader to enter the courtroom with a kirpan, a symbol of Sikh religion, saying it “could be used as a weapon.” Superior Court Justice Steven Rogin refused to allow Indo-Canadian Sukdev Singh Kooner into the courtroom with the ceremonial dagger, worn in devotion to the faith, saying: “Although Kooner's Charter Right to Freedom of Religion may be breached, he will not be allowed to bring his kirpan into the courthouse.” Mr. Justice Rogin said: “This is especially so because of the excitement and passion this dispute has engendered in the gurdwara and the fact that the kirpan, alt ....
Two more charged, making a total of five, in gurdwara fight( 22-Apr-2010 )Brampton: Peel police have charged two more people, bringing the total to five, in the fight that broke out in the Sri Guru Naaak Sikh Gurdwara, at Glidden Road, in Brampton on April 18. After police identfied the two and issued warrants, both persons, Amarjit Singh Mann age 58, and Surjit Singh Atwal, 54, both of Brampton, turned themselves in on April 21.. Mann is charged with Possession of a Weapon for a Purpose, Assault with a Weapon, and two counts of Assault Cause Bodily Harm. , while Atwalis is charged for; Possession of a Weapon for a Purpose and Assault with a Weapon. Earlier, police charged Harvinder Pal Dhaliwal, 41, has been charged with assa ....
Father happy over kidnapped son's release( 15-Apr-2010 )Toronto: Robin Singh, who was kidnapped by the Tabilan in Pakistan, has been released, according to his father Bishan Dass. The 70-year-old Dass, who lives in Brampton, called South Asian Observer to convey the news and said he was happy to see his son set free. Dass migrated to Canada from Pakistan in 1999. The 33-year-old Robin, an IT graduate from a US university, was kidnapped on Feb 12 when he came out of his officer at University Town, Peshawar. His kidnappers demanded ransom. Robin was one of the four kidnapped. Robin's older brother ....
Kirpans out as Canadian Sikh divisions deepen over scripture( 12-Apr-2010 )Toronto: Divisions among Canadian Sikhs over the ongoing controversy about the Dasam Granth reached a flash point with hardliners using kirpans to attack supporters of former Akal Takht head priest Darshan Singh Ragi who suspects the authenticity of the scripture. After the holy Granth which carries the writings of the first nine Sikhs, the Dasam Granth is another major scripture of the community carrying the writings of the last guru Gobind Singh. Though only the holy Granth is installed at all gurdwaras because it was declared the eternal gu ....
Indian-origin ex-MP's wife out of Canadian government( 10-Apr-2010 )Ottawa: Indian-origin ex-MP Rahim Jaffer, who became an embarrassment for the Canadian prime minister because of alleged shady deals, saw his minister wife being sacked from the cabinet Friday. Helena Guergis, who is in charge of women affairs, was in the thick of controversies which included her tantrums at an airport and her female aide writing letters to local papers lauding her without revealing that she worked for the minister. Prime minister Stephen Harper not only threw her out but also ordered police investigations into charges agains ....
Indo-Canadian woman charged for plotting murder gets bail( 08-Apr-2010 )Vancouver: A 45-year-old Sikh woman, who was arrested in the city suburb of Delta for plotting the murder of two persons for money, has been granted bail. She will be back in court on April 21. Her husband was also in court for spousal abuse. Amarjit has been ordered to live elsewhere. Amarjit Kaur Lally, who appeared in a court Wednesday, was charged with hiring hit men to commit the double murder. Her intended targets were also Indo-Canadians, though police have not released their identity. Police said they mounted surveillance after getting a tip about the murder plot. The persons to be targeted by her hit men were informed about danger to their lives and given p ....
One arrested for stabbing at temple( 05-Apr-2010 )Brampton: One person has been arrested in the stabbing of Indo-Canadian lawyer Manjit Singh Mangat during a scuffle at the Sikh Lehar Centre here. Police are looking for more suspects. Mangat's office on April 5 informed South Asian Observer that the well-known Sikh lawyer is recuperating at home. Mangat, a member of the gurdwara and a former Justice of Peace, was pounced upon by an unknown assailant when he stepped to address an angry crowd outside the Sikh Lehar Centre. A fight broke out between two rival groups.on April 2 evening when a ....
Sania-Shoaib marriage is beacon of hope for India-Pakistan: Miss Pakistan( 05-Apr-2010 )Toronto: Despite all the drama surrounding the upcoming wedding of Indian tennis star Sania Mirza with Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik, Miss Pakistan Ayesha Gilani is all too eager to welcome Sania 'bhabhi' to Pakistan and said the marriage would be a "beacon of hope and peace" for bilateral ties. "Sania bhabhi and Shoaib make a great couple and both are from the sports world, so they suit each other. And I don't think they are that apart in culture as Shoaib also has some remaining family in India,'' the 27 ....
Indians to benefit from 30 new parliamentary seats in Canada( 04-Apr-2010 )Toronto: The fast increasing population of Indian and other immigrant communities has forced the Canadian government to raise the number of MPs from 308 to 338. The Conservative Party government has introduced a bill in parliament to raise the number of its seats by 30. If the bill is passed, the new seats will come into effect from 2014. Most of the new constituencies will be created in the areas dominated by south Asians and Chinese in the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta. While Ontario, which has a huge presence of Indians in Toronto and its suburbs, will get 18 more seats, British Columbia with Punjabi-dominant Surrey, Abbotsford and other cities w ....
Former Surrey gurdwara president angry at vicious campaign( 01-Apr-2010 )Surrey: Former Guru Nanak Sikh Temple president Balwant Singh Gill is angry that some of his opponents have resorted to tarnishing his name. An anonymous email had a webpage from the Canada Revenue Agency showing figures that were altered. It showed that Gill's committee authorized a $500,000 donation to the Cloverdale Sikh Society when in fact the amount was $50,000. The actual webpage is available at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/charities/. Gill has demanded retraction from many media outlets that carried the story. Gill's group lost the election to a younger set last November. The new committee has disclosed that under Gill the temple was in deficit of $450,000. Gi ....
Join India's IT boom, Canadian companies told( 01-Apr-2010 )Toronto: Sachin Pilot, India's minister of state for communications and information technology, has asked Canadian companies to invest in India to take advantage of the IT revolution in the country. Pilot, who is here to meet with leaders of Canadian companies such as BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) to discuss investment opportunities and issues related to cyber security, said there is a huge scope for Canadian IT companies in India's telecom sector because of its on-going "exponential growth.'' In his invitation ....
Sikh stabbed to death( 31-Mar-2010 )Vancouver: Police have identified a young Sikh man who was stabbed to death in a birthday party at Cloverdale on the outskirts of the city Sunday. Twenty-one-year-old Indo-Canadian Buta Singh Sangha was stabbed when a fight broke out between two neighbouring families over the birthday party celebrations. The Punjab-born victim was invited as a guest by the family celebrating the birthday of their baby when the dispute with the neighbours started. Police said Sangha was stabbed when the dispute turned violent. He was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. A 32-year-old man with criminal past has been arrested for the crime. Police said the alleged killer, A ....
First alert on Canadian subway networks( 30-Mar-2010 )Toronto: For the first time in recent years, Canada put its subway networks on "extra alert" after twin terrorist attacks in Moscow that killed 38 people. In the country's biggest city here, policemen could be seen patrolling subway stations of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). "We haven't officially heightened the security level in the subway system, but our special constables are extra alert on their patrols,'' said TTC spokesman Danny Nicholson told the Canadian Press. Security levels for the subway network were also stepped up in the second biggest city Montreal. "Any event like this around the world has an impact on our syst ....
Canada to expand refugee resettlement programs( 29-Mar-2010 )Staff Report Toronto: Jason Kenney, Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, announced a series of reforms that would expand the refugees system. After the propasal is introduced in Parliament on March 30 and passed, the government's first step would be to resettle 2,500 more UN-selected refugees living in refugee camps and urban slums. "Millions of people have fled violence and persecution to seek refuge outside their home countries and we would like to do more to provide them with protection in Canada," said Minister Kenney. "We know that we can't help everyone. But what we can do is introduce balanced reforms to our refugee system that wil ....
Canada's new law to shut doors on bogus refugees( 29-Mar-2010 )Toronto: With bogus refugee claimants from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and many other countries leading to a virtual breakdown of its immigration and refugee system, Canada Sunday announced a new law to fix the crisis. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said he will introduce the legislation Tuesday to weed out fake claimants from genuine cases. Canada accepts the largest number of refugees among all the developed nations. But because of it lenient laws anyone can enter the country and file for refugee claim on flimsy grounds such as their persecution in their native countries. During the ethnic war in Sri Lanka and the militancy in Punjab, thousands of people sought refu ....
Holocaust soap made from human fat on sale in Canada!( 27-Mar-2010 )Toronto: A Canadian store in Montreal has claimed it is selling soap made from the fat of Holocaust victims. The shop has displayed the beige-coloured soap bar inscribed with a Swastika in a glass case with a card reading 'Poland 1940,' a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation says. The shop also sells a braid of hair which it claims originated from a Nazi 'extermination camp.' It is not illegal in Canada to sell products bearing a Swastika symbol of the Nazis. The store owner claims the soap was "made out of people ... the fat of people" who perished in the Holocaust. He has refused to speak about the soap in detail, just saying that ....
Top Canadian leaders lead business mission to India( 26-Mar-2010 )Toronto: Even before road transport and infrastructure minister Kamal Nath winds up his visit here, a high-level Canadian business delegation begins a four-day visit to India from March 29. Led by John Manley, former deputy prime minister and current CEO and president of the Canadian Council of CEOs, Roy MacLaren, former federal minister and Canada-India Business Council chairman, the business mission will "directly engage" the Indian private sector to boost trade ties. The delegation, which will visit Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, will do the groundwork for the signing of the proposed foreign investment protection agreement (FIPA) and comprehensive economic par ....
Nath calls for investment in India`s infrastructure( 25-Mar-2010 )Toronto: India’s Minister for Roads and Transport Kamal Nath called upon Canadian investors to take advantage of the $50 billion infrastructure projects. Addressing a gathering of businessmen at the event organized by the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC), Nath laid out India’s plan and vision for what he called the “decade of infrastructure.” He reminded the business people that after India went through its “decade of IT”, the focus is now on developing India’s rural infrastructure that would ....
Court grants bail to Parminder Singh Saini( 25-Mar-2010 )New Delhi/Toronto: A Delhi court has granted bail to a Sikh militant, Parminder Singh Saini, who had masterminded the hijack of an Indian Airlines plane to Pakistan in 1984. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Ajay Kumar Pandey allowed the bail plea of 46-year-old Saini on a personal bond of Rs.1 lakh and one surety of the like amount. Saini was deported from Canada in January this year. He was escorted by officials of the Canadian Border Security Agency, India's National Investigation Authority as well as the Central Bureau of Investigation. Saini was the leader of five Sikh militants who hijacked an Indian Airlines flight from Srinagar to Delhi July 6, 1984, ....
Niqab for Muslim women banned in Canadian province( 25-Mar-2010 )Toronto: After France, Muslim women have been banned from wearing niqab in Canada's French-speaking Quebec province. A bill tabled Wednesday will not allow government services to women wearing the niqab. The bill comes after protests triggered by an Egyptian immigrant's refusal to remove her niqab in her French languages classes in Montreal, forcing the school and the provincial government to throw her out. The college says the Muslim woman was given the front seat in the class so that all male students sat behind her. She was even al ....
Scholar-activist Hari Sharma passes away( 22-Mar-2010 ) Vancouver: Well-known Indo-Canadian sociologist and human rights activist Dr. Hari Sharma passed away at his home in Burnaby, British Columbia, on March 16 after a prolonged fight with cancer. Sharma, 75, was given the post of Professor Emeritus at the Simon Fraser University after his retirement. He taught at the university since coming to Canada in 1968. Dr. Sharma the president of South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy (SANSAD). Besides, he played a major role in setting up the International League of People&rsq ....
Canadian universities line up for India( 18-Mar-2010 )Toronto: Many Canadian universities and colleges are likely to enter India after the Indian parliament passes a bill to allow foreign educational institutions to set up independent campuses in the country. Currently, universities and colleges from Canada and the US run 26 collaborative projects in India with local universities and colleges. "The Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce, the Canada-India Business council and we have been lobbying Canadian universities to open campuses in India," Husain Neemuchwala of the Canada-India Business Council education committee told IANS, labelling the proposed bill a "welcome step". The Indian cabinet Monday cleared ....
Doda valued at $2.5 million seized( 17-Mar-2010 )Mississauga: Peel Regional Police seized doda (an opium derivate made from crushed poppy husks) in three search warrants. The total value of the haul was put at $2,564,000. Bhagat Singh a 46-year-old Brampton man, has been arrested and charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purposes of Trafficking. Singh will appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on April 22. Peel Regional Police said that anyonefound in possession of doda, or anyone who is found selling doda, is subject to being arrested and charged with P ....
Husain's hounding 'blow to the idea of India': Indo-Canadian leader( 17-Mar-2010 )Toronto: Ujjal Dosanjh, former Canadian health minister, has called painter M.F. Husain's decision to give up his Indian citizenship "a blow to the idea of India.'' The Indian government should not allow fundamentalists to dictate and persuade Husain to retake his Indian citizenship, Dosanjh, a leader of the influential Indian Canadian community, said. "What has happened is not about Husain, it is about the idea of India... about the India of Gandhi's and Nehru's dreams. For Husain to take up citizenship of another country is a blow to the idea of India,'' Dosanjh told IANS in an interview. Husain went into self-imposed exile in 2006 ....
Ex-MP Jaffer let off with fine for carelss driving( 11-Mar-2010 )Toronto: Former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer was let off with just a fine for careless driving but had cocaine possession and drunk driving charges dropped. The former Indo-Canadian MP was fined $500 and he promised to donate $500 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Appearing at a court in Orangeville, Ontario, the ex-MP from Calgary pleaded quilty to a lesser charge. He is now settled in Angus, Ontario, with his wife Helena Guergis, who is the federal minister of state for the status of women and represents the riding of Simcoe-Grey ....
Jury dismissed in Reyat perjury trial( 09-Mar-2010 )Observer News Service Vancouver: Justice Mark McEwan dismissed the jury before any evidence had been heard in the perjury trial of Indo-Canadian Inderjit Singh Reyat in the B.C. Supreme Court here on Monday. A new jury will be chosen starting March 15. Eight women and four men were chosen from 150 people last Wednesday. Reyat has been charged with lying 27 times during the trial of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were acquitte in the Air India bombing case. Reyat was convicted for the Narita bombing that killed two bagga ....
Sikh man charged with killing father in Canada( 07-Mar-2010 )Vancouver: A Sikh man who beat his father to death last December in the family home in Calgary city was charged with homicide. Police said Ranjit Rana Singh, 30, faces second-degree murder charges in the death of his father Harinder Singh. The 60-year-old Singh had suffered critical injuries after an assault inside the family home Dec 9 last year. Police and paramedics had removed him to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Rana Ranjit Singh fled in his Honda Civic after fatally injuring his father even as other family members denied that they saw the assault. He was arrested later and questioned by police for being "a person of considerable interest' ....
Kidnapped Sikh faces Taliban threat of conversion: Father( 05-Mar-2010 )Toronto: Desperate for the safe release of his 32-year-old son Robin Singh from the Pakistani Taliban, Toronto-based Bishan Dass said his son faces threat of conversion. An IT professional with degrees from the US, Robin Singh was kidnapped by the militants in Peshawar Feb 12 for a ransom of 10 million rupees. A father of three sons, Singh is one of the four Sikhs abducted recently by the Pakistan Taliban from Peshawar for ransom. "My wife Shama and I have been broken by this tragic happening. We don't have the money pay, and we don't know what to do. We have slept very little since then,'' 70-year-old Dass told IANS. A former national vice presiden ....
Canada's first winter cricket league becomes an Indian carnival( 05-Mar-2010 )Toronto: After getting official recognition as national sport from the Canadian government in 2008, cricket in Canada has now got its first winter league. Launched here by the Cricket Champions League, the league has drawn a huge response from the South Asian community. It features 14 teams, including three women's teams, and will run till April 24. Called 'Cricket for Haiti,' it will donate all its money to the victims of the January earthquake in Haiti. Interestingly, it is the first league in the world where cricket is being played indoors, and women pitting against boys. League promoters have turned the event into a South Asian carnival by using emails, ....
Reyat back in court to face perjury charge( 03-Mar-2010 )Vancouver: Indo-Canadian Inderjit Singh Reyat, who was convicted in the Air India bombing case, will be again in court to face perjury charge. Reyat faces one count of perjury for allegedly testifying falsely in September 2003 at the trial of mill worker Ajaib Singh Bagri and businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik. Reyat is accused of telling the court under oath, with the intent to mislead, that he did not know or recall details of the alleged conspiracy beyond a few matters, Neil MacKenzie, a spokesman for the Crown counsel’s office, said ye ....
Indian to lead filmmakers on 3D cinema project( 02-Mar-2010 )Toronto: Delhi-born documentary filmmaker Ali Kazimi, an associate professor in the department of film production at York University here, will lead a team of filmmakers for research in 3D (three-dimensional) cinema. The filmmakers will work with vision scientists, and psychologists in the two-year research project - called the 3D Film Innovation Consortium (3D FLIC) - about the future of 3D film production. "It is the first project of its kind in the world which will bring filmmakers, scientists and psychologists to examine 3D cinema fro ....
Glorious Canada( 01-Mar-2010 )Vancouver: Though Canada secured third place in the overall medal standings, the country is proud to have made Olympic history by winning the highest number of gold medals -- 14. The crowning glory came when the men's hockey team defeated arch-rivals USA in a nail-biting 3-2 finish. The golden goal came in the overtime sudden death period. Canada led 2-0 at one stage. After reducing the margin to 1-2, USA kept on pressing for an equaliser. It succeeded with just 27 seconds remaining for the final whistle. It seems so close and yet so far f ....
Another terrorist walks out free in Canada bombing plot( 27-Feb-2010 )Toronto: Canada Friday let off another terrorist after his guilty plea in the Al Qaeda-inspired plot to bomb its major targets in 2006. Known as the Toronto-18 plot - which could have been Canada's 9/11 - it was unearthed in June 2006 with the arrest of 18 Muslim men, mostly of Pakistani origin. The plotters had planned to storm and blow up the nation's parliament in Ottawa, take leaders hostage and behead the prime minister. They had also planned to drive explosive-laden trucks into the offices of the Canadian spy agency, the Toronto Stock Exchange and a military base here. To carry out the plot in revenge for Canada's participation in the Afghan mission, t ....
Two charged in Boston Pizza fight( 26-Feb-2010 )Mission, British Columbia: Indo-Canadian Rajandeep “Ryan” Sekhon, 19, and another male, age 17, who cannot be named as he is a young offender, have been charged with aggravated assaul in connection with a fight at Boston Pizza on Feb. 19 Police have spoken to numerous witnesses and have received a number of tips they are still investigating. RCMP were called to the restaurant at the Junction to break up an altercation last week between an Indo-Canadian group and another group of mostly Caucasians. According to police, it appears the two groups knew each other, and the violence started when an Indo-Canadian male accused someone from the other group of throwing ....
Tamil newspaper ransacked in Toronto( 22-Feb-2010 )Toronto: The office of a prominent Tamil newspaper here was ransacked Saturday night for covering the talks of a local Tamil leader with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Kula Sellathurai, president of the United Tamil Council of Canada and the Canada-India Business Council, had recently met Rajapaksa in Colombo to discuss the Tamil issue and hand over funds raised for the orphans of the war. His talks with the Sri Lankan president were covered in the Uthayan newspaper edited by his friend Logan Logendralingam. The coverage earned the newspaper the ire of many sections of Tamil Canadians. Before the newspaper office was ransacked overnight, the editor got a call fr ....
Tata hints at investment in Canadian mining sector( 20-Feb-2010 )Toronto: Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata has said his conglomerate will expand its presence in Canada, hinting at mining as one of the areas of interest. Currently, the group's Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has operations across Canada, with offices in Montreal, Calgary and Mississauga in the Greater Toronto Area and presence in other cities. The group acquired the Canadian overseas telecom corporation Teleglobe in 2005. Based in Montreal, it operates as a subsidiary of Tata's Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited. The Tata group also has a s ....
Expanded foreign credential recognition in India( 18-Feb-2010 )Vancouver: More skilled immigrants to Canada will be able to access the help needed to jump-start their credential recognition process through expanded overseas orientation services, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today. “We want newcomers to be able to use their skills as soon as possible in Canada,” said Minister Kenney. “This funding will help them jump-start the credential recognition process before they arrive in Canada. It’s good for them and good for the Canadian econ ....
Indo-Canadian scientist pats Ramesh on Bt Brinjal, smells conspiracy( 16-Feb-2010 )Pashtapur (Andhra Pradesh): Leading Canadian-Indian microbiologist Shiv Chopra has praised Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh for putting a moratorium on Bt Brinjal and says selection of the "minor vegetable" for genetic modification and its commercial cultivation was a clever strategy to spread the Bt gene "to other crops". "If GM (genetically modified crops) succeeds in India, it will be the most common method of growing food worldwide," Chopra said, warning of biodiversity loss and high carbon emission from mono-cultures. Chopra was addressing a gathering of farmers at the Deccan Development Society's XI mobile Biodiversity Festival, ....
Indian team wrapped in controversy( 15-Feb-2010 )Vancouver: The three-member Indian luger team for the Winter Olympics here is wrapped in a controversy. The team officials have refuted Shiva Keshavan's claim that the team came without uniforms and without adequate funds. Chef-de-mission RK Gupta said, "Shiva thinks he is greater than India and is maligning the image of the country by claiming that the team don't have coordinated uniform. He didn't speak to us regarding it. We didn't have a clue. "We had proper attires worth Rs 29,000 each provided by the IOA and the ....
Indira Gandhi's killers honoured in New Zealand Sikh temple( 13-Feb-2010 )Wellington: The decision by New Zealand's largest Sikh temple to hail as martyrs the three men who assassinated Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi has upset some members of the Indian community in Auckland. The temple in Manukau has hung on its walls portraits of Gandhi's bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, who were killed in a gun battle after firing more than 30 bullets into her in 1984, and of co-conspirator Kehar Singh, who was sentenced to death, the Weekend Herald reported Saturday. Entitled "Shaheed Bhai" - or martyr brother - they hang alongside others who have been killed for their Sikh beliefs. The newspaper described how the pictures ....
Dhols sound at flag-hoisting, Indian team gets uniforms Athlete dies in crash( 12-Feb-2010 )Vancouver: Dhols and native Indian drums were sounded as part of the flag-hoisting ceremony at the Olympic Village. The Canadian national anthem was sung as more than 200 athletes and team officials joined in. The weather was cold with rain falling persistently. Governor-General Michelle Jean and Prime Minister Harper seemed very happy along with the chief of the organising committee John Furlong, British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. The official opening is scheduled for Feb. 12. Vancouver is located at ....
'Ghost' consultants pose problem to Canadian immigration( 11-Feb-2010 )Toronto: Ghost immigration consultants have become a big threat to the immigration process in Canada which lets in more than 250,000 newcomers each year, a large number of them from Punjab. According to figures, there are about 2,000 ghost immigration consultants as against just 1,655 registered by the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants. Operating out of the purview of law, these ‘ghost’ immigration consultants fleece thousands of prospective immigrants each year, defrauding them from $1,200 to $30,000 each. Since India is the second largest source of immigration into Canada after China, the “ghost” problem is even deeper in the Indo-Canad ....
Canadian minister takes a Metro ride( 06-Feb-2010 )New Delhi: Jean Charest, the prime minister of Quebec, one of the largest provinces in Canada, Saturday took a ride in the Delhi Metro and appreciated its cleanliness. According to Delhi Metro authorities, Charest along with some senior officials "got a first-hand feel of the system". "The premier first visited the Metro Museum at Patel Chowk station and thereafter traveled from Patel Chowk to Rajiv Chowk Metro station of Line-2," Delhi Metro spokesman Anuj Dayal said. Charest also met Delhi Metro Rail Corporation managing director E. Sreedharan at Metro Bhawan and "appreciated the cleanliness at Metro stations and quick pace of Metro cons ....
Thousands celebrate Republic Day( 03-Feb-2010 )Toronto: More than 15 groups entertained a packed house at the Pearson Convention Centre in Brampton at the annual Panorama-India Republic Day celebrations. At the main event of the evening, 28-year-old Ferzana Bohra was crowned the Panorama-India Idol. The engineering student at McMaster University in Hamilton won the $500 cash prize. Anusha Sivalingam was adjudged the runner-up and walked away with $300. Kajori Chakrovarty and Dhiraj Barla shared the third spot. The four finalists were selected after three rounds. It was for the first time th ....
Ramakrishnan, Zakaria, Chatwal amongst NRI Padma awardees( 25-Jan-2010 )New Delhi: Thirteen foreigners, non resident Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin (PIOs), including Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, Indian American journalist Fareed Zakaria and New York-based hotelier Sant Singh Chatwal, have been given the Padma awards this year for services to India. While Britain-based Ramakrishnan, who got the Nobel Prize for Chemistry last year, has got the Padma Vibhushan - the second highest award - for science and engineering, five have got the Padma Bhushan - the third higest award - and the rest the Padma Shri. Those that have got the Padma Bhushan are Newsweek International editor Zakaria for journalism, US-based Prof Tan Chung ....
Canadian held for gang-style killing of two Sikhs( 23-Jan-2010 )Toronto: A man has been arrested on charges of killing two Sikh men of the Toronto area last year. Harjinder Singh Sandhu, 28, and Puneet Singh Chhina, 26, were killed here last May and their bodies were found in the trunk of their car in Pickering city near Toronto. Police said Friday that they have arrested John Le, 38, of Durham on the outskirts of Toronto for allegedly killing the two men. He faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, forcible confinement and use of firearms in the crime, police said, adding that more arrests were likely soon. Though police said the killings had the pattern of a gangland-type hit, it is speculated that the Sikh men were kill ....
Indo-Canadian appointed Toronto university VP( 22-Jan-2010 )By A Staff Writer The University of Toronto has appointed Indo-Canadian Prof. Hargurdeep Saini as vice-president and principal of the university's Mississauga campus for a five-year term. Prof. Saini will take charge from July 1 of this year. He is currently Dean of the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. "I'm delighted that Prof. Deep Saini is joining us as Vice President and Principal of the University of Toronto Mississauga," said President David Naylor. "A fine scholar and generous mentor, Deep Saini ....
Boxer Beer cornered( 21-Jan-2010 )by Eugene Correia Toronto: Owned by an Indo-Canadian family, Minhas Creek Brewery, has been slapped with a notice for an advertisement showing a female boxer for its Boxer Beer. The Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) said that the company, which belongs to a sister-and-brother team, Manjit and Ravinder Minhas, violates a regulation that disallows ads that associate “consumption of liquor with … any other activity that requires care and skill or has elements of danger.” This warning reportedly followed a complai ....
Law society denies Indo-Canadian right to practise( 17-Jan-2010 )Canada has refused to allow the mastermind of the 1984 hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight to Lahore to practise law. Parminder Singh Saini, 46, who took refuge here 15 years ago and faces deportation to India, sought permission last year to practice law in Canada after completing his law degree here. But the Law Society of Upper Canada has now ruled that Saini cannot practice in Canada because of his bad character. Rejecting his application, the Law Society said Saini was unfit to practice in Canada because of "the seriousness of the crime of hijacking, the deception after landing in Canada and the fact that he is still being described as a person of danger.' ....
Canada paid millions to mole to crack Pakistani terror plot( 12-Jan-2010 )By Gurmukh Singh Toronto: Canadian agencies paid millions of dollars to a Muslim agent to unravel an al-Qaeda terror plot four years ago. Most plotters were of Pakistani origin and came from the Toronto suburb of Mississauga which has the biggest concentration of Muslims in the country. Known as the Toronto-18 terror plot, the case was uncovered in June 2006 with the arrest of 18 Toronto-area Muslims who wanted to storm the Canadian parliament, and take Prime Minister Stephen Harper and others hostage and behead him. The plotters had also planned to blow up the Toronto Stock Exchange and offices of the Canadian spy agency. To carry out the plot, they had undergone traini ....
Indo-Canadian father jailed for stabbing daughter( 10-Jan-2010 )By Gurmukh Singh Toronto: An Indo-Canadian father has been jailed for 52 months for attempted murder of his teenage daughter at Alliston township near here. Forty-six-year Kamal Khanna was handed down the sentence at the weekend for attacking his 14-year-old daughter Ashna Khanna in her sleep two years ago. The court heard how the Indo-Canadian father attacked, punched and stabbed his daughter while she lay in sleep March 24, 2008. The teenage girl woke up and ran to her younger sister's room. But Khanna chased her and kept stabbing her in the chest, head, face and abdomen, the prosecutor said. The father left only when the young victim went down on the floor preten ....
'Indians playing significant role in Canadian politics'( 10-Jan-2010 )Chandigarh: Peter Milliken, speaker of the Canadian House of Commons, said on Saturday Indians are playing a "significant" role in his country's politics. "Indians are playing a very significant role in Canadian politics. We have a good number of parliamentarians of Indian origin," Milliken, who represents Kingston Ontario, told reporters here. "Considering the size of our country, Indians are very actively involved in Canadian politics. They are contributing a considerable share of their vast experience in our country and this is one of the reasons behind our success and prosperity," he added. Milliken, along with a delegation of Canad ....
People will invest in India if laws are right: Indo-Canadian minister( 09-Jan-2010 )By Vishnu Makhijani If the Indian diaspora is to be tempted to invest in this country, then greater transparency, an institutional mechanism and clear cut laws are required, says a Canadian provincial minister of Indian origin. "The government's role is to create an environment for investments. The government has to state what its priorities are. About how it is attractive to invest in this country and what returns an investor can expect. It has also to be made clear what the tax laws are," Harinder Singh Takhar, Ontario's Minister for Government Services, told IANS in an interview. "If a system is in place, the investments will automatically flow ....
Indo-Canadian youth pleads not guilty in murder case( 09-Jan-2010 )By A Staff Writer Toronto An Indo-Canadian youth pleaded not guilty in a murder trial case. Raman Gill , a Mississauga resident pleaded not guilty Friday to murdering Tom Garavellos, 25, also of Mississauga, back in August 2003. A "silly insult" directed at three men who were watching the stars through a telescope on the night of the 2003 blackout cost a Mississauga man his life, jurors were told Raman Gill, 27, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, while admitting to fatally stabbing Tom Garavellos, 25, on Aug. 14, 2003 near Dundas St. and Ridgeway Dr., Crown prosecutor Cam Watson told jurors in his opening address. Watson told the jury Gill didn ....
Indo-Canadian woman murdered, husband charged( 08-Jan-2010 )A mother of two small children was found murdered in Surrey, British Columbia, and her husband has been charged. Cpl. Dale Carr of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, IHIT, said the woman was reported missing to police. Police went to the home of 32-year-old Tejinder Kaur Dhanoa where she had lived with her husband Kamaljit Singh Dhanoa and two young children. They found the body inside the home, which is located in the 1300-block of English Place. “It was a report of a missing woman through a relative,” said Carr about the tragic discovery. “Investigators worked through the evening and they learned that she may have met with foul play.” &l ....
2 Indo-Canadian women 'worked' for UN drug gang( 16-Dec-2009 ) Two Indo-Canadian women were among those arrested in 2005, resulting in busting of United Nations, an international drug gang led by Clay Roueche, according to U.S. court documents filed for his sentencing hearing. Sharmila Kumar, 37 and Shailen Varma,25, both from Vancouver,BC — were picked up at Soap Lake with drugs flown from Canada to US. The drugs were dropped by a floatplane in the Soap lake in Okanogan Officers impounded an SUV and found almost 325 pounds of packaged marijuana inside, worth about $1.5 million. There arrests were just one of the series as RCMP and US officials followed some of Roueche’s associates. But while the arrests w ....
Alleged Sikh extremist, deported to Belize, vanishes( 15-Dec-2009 ) The proposed review of the national-security certificate system has brought into focus once again the case of a suspected Sikh extremist, deported from Canada to Belize but not traceable there now. Iqbal Singh, whom the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) termed as a member of the terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa, was arrested under the system. Iqbal Singh arrived in Canada from India in 1991. Complaining of persecution in India he applied for and was granted refugee status in 1993. He lived in Toronto, and operated trucking company there. In April 1998 he was arrested and jailed under the national security certificate used to arrest an ....
India urged to fast-track ties with Canada( 14-Dec-2009 ) With Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his top ministers visiting India this year, the influential Indo-Canadian community has stepped up its demand for reciprocal visits by Indian leaders to fast-track ties between the countries. They have also demanded the appointment of Indo-Canadian experts to positions being created by Canada in India to boost trade ties. Welcoming the Canadian prime minister to sign the nuclear deal with India, community leaders said India should act now by paying more attention to Canada by undertaking frequent ministerial visits. Though almost all top Canadian ministers have visited India since January, not a single Ind ....
Easier permanent residence for the live-in caregivers on anvil( 13-Dec-2009 ) Significant improvements are proposed to better protect the rights of live‑in caregivers and to make it easier for them and their families to obtain permanent residence in Canada. Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced this on Saturday. The announcement follows extensive consultations with caregiver groups from across the country, as well as heartfelt testimony before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. The first proposed change to the Live-in Caregiver Program eliminates the requirement for live-in caregivers to undergo a second medical examination when applying to becom ....
Government succumbed to blackmail, say Telugu NRIs( 12-Dec-2009 )Toronto: Cutting across regional lines, Telugus in Canada have blasted the Indian government for succumbing to "blackmail" to create Telangana out of Andhra Pradesh. Canada is home to more than 30,000 Telugus who come from all three parts of Andhra Pradesh - Rayalaseema, Telangana and Andhra. Reacting angrily to the proposed division of their state, they said the Indian government has opened a Pandora's Box which will spell danger for the unity of the country. The Congress government at the centre and in Andhra Pradesh has ignored the wishes of millions of Andhra people and "succumbed to the blackmail of just one person (K. Chandrashekhar Rao or KCR),& ....
Crash killing 3 Indo-Canadian women was accidental: Coroner's Jury( 11-Dec-2009 ) The jury at a coroner's inquest into the deaths of three Indo-Canadian women in a van crash, ruled the collision ‘accidental’ while making 18 recommendations. It released its findings on Thursday. Sarabjit Sidhu, 31, Amarjit Bal, 52, and Sukhwinder Punia, 46 were killed in March 2007 when the van they were traveling in, flipped over on the Trans-Canada Highway onto a concrete median. The van was overloaded and had seatbelts for just two of the 17 people inside. The jury also recommended that 15-passenger vans be classified as high-risk vehicles, that farm workers be given better education about their rights and that the provincial transp ....
Working conditions of immigrant farm workers in focus( 10-Dec-2009 ) A coroners inquest into a fatal car crash that killed three Indo-Canadian farm women in March 2007, has served to highlight the implementation of road safety norms and working conditions of immigrant farm workers. Vehicles carrying immigrant farm workers are often dangerous, the inquest was told. “These are vulnerable workers. They aren’t on our radar screens. They work early in the morning in fields. They don’t feel they have rights. They don’t speak the language,” said B.C. Federation of Labour president Jim Sinclair while testifying in the three days inquest. Amarjit Kaur Bal, 52, Sarabjit Kaur Sidhu,30 and Sukhwinder ....
Son of slain Indo-Canadian man in custody( 09-Dec-2009 ) Son of the Indo-Canadian man, killed in Calgary Monday night, has been taken into custody by the police, who, it believes, may throw light on the case. 60-year-old Harinder Singh was assaulted in his home. He was taken to a Calgary hospital where he later died of his injuries late Monday night. Police have been looking for his 30-year-old son for questioning in the whom it described as being “a person of considerable interest at this time.” The older man was found "suffering from significant trauma" at about 1:20 a.m. on Monday at a home on Castleglen Way N.E. by the police. A domestic dispute is believed to have led to the man& ....
Canadian province premier on 'green mission' to India( 06-Dec-2009 ) By Gurmukh Singh Dalton McGuinty, premier of Canada's Ontario province, Saturday left for India on a week-long trade mission to sell green technology to the energy-starved country. Coming close on the heels of the India-Canada nuclear agreement last week, the trade mission by the premier (equal to a chief minister in India) from Dec 6-11 will take him to New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The visit assumes significance as Ontario with Toronto as its capital is the powerhouse of Canada, accounting for more than 40 percent of the nation's economy and much of manufacturing and auto industries. Before leaving for New Delhi, McGuinty told the med ....
Indian student in Canada jailed for street racing death( 05-Dec-2009 ) A 23-year-old Indian student in Canada has been jailed for 42 months for causing a death in street racing here two years ago. Ravi Badhwar of Mississauga on the outskirts of Toronto faces deportation to India on completion of his sentence. The Indian student and two other drivers were Friday found guilty of killing truck driver David Virgoe on Toronto's Highway 400 in street racing in June 2007. A court here held them guilty of criminal negligence in causing the death. But Badhwar was also found guilty of not remaining at the scene of the accident. The court sentenced Badhwar and the two others -- Nauman Nusrat, 21, and Prab Multani, 22 -- to 30 months fo ....
Indo-Canadian gangster who 'killed for a living' jailed( 04-Dec-2009 ) By Gurmukh Singh Mandy Buttar, known as one of the most notorious of Indo-Canadian gangsters who boasted that he "killed for a living,'' was sentenced Thursday for an assault on a stranger. The provincial Supreme Court sentenced Buttar (he is only known by that name) to 15 months for attacking another Indo-Canadian, who was unknown to him, with a beer glass three years ago at a pub in the Vancouver suburb of Surrey. Surrey is home to the largest concentration of the Punjabi community in Canada. The sentence, though very light, assumes significance as more than 100 Indo-Canadian young men have been killed in gang warfare during the past 15 ....
Fire at Burnaby Sikh temple deemed suspicious( 03-Dec-2009 ) Tuesday morning fire at Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha community centre at 7271 Gilley Ave. in Burnaby has been termed as suspiscious by investigators. Fire Department and Burnaby RCMP, both are investigating the fire incident besides another incident of fire few blocks away on Gilley Avenue early Tuesday morning. The fire was noticed just before 2 a.m by two resident priests who called 911. The fire had started outside by the loading dock before spreading to the roof and inside to the kitchen area. The blaze destroyed one of the Sikh temple's parade floats which was parked out back. In all, seven fire trucks and 18 firefighters responded to the fire, ....
Indo-Canadian moves Bombay court to be allowed to go back to Canada( 02-Dec-2009 ) An Indo-Canadian man has moved the Bombay high court seeking quashing of the domestic violence cases filed by his wife, also a Canadian citizen. He has also sought the court's permission to fly back to Canada. A look out notice is in force against the Indian-born Canadian citizen, presently working with a Pune-based company. After their marriage in India in February 1994 after a courtship of nine years, the husband had immediately moved to Australia and the wife had joined him there six month later. The couple has a nine-year-old daughter born in Canada. The wife had complained of physical and mental torture immediately after her pregnancy. Sh ....
Canada fast-tracks recognition of immigrant degrees( 01-Dec-2009 ) By Gurmukh Singh Canada, where a majority of new immigrants cannot find work in their chosen fields because of non-acceptance of their degrees, Monday announced to fast-track recognition of foreign credentials. With the shortage of skilled professions in many professions looming, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced Monday that foreign credentials in 14 fields will now be assessed within a year. In the first phase, which begins Dec 31 this year, foreign qualified engineers, architects, pharmacists, physiotherapists, nurses and accountants will know by December 2010 whether their credentials meet Canadian standards, Kenney said. In the second p ....
Moe Sihota elected president of B.C. NDP( 30-Nov-2009 ) Former cabinet minister Moe Sihota has been elected president of the B.C. New Democratic Party. First Indo-Canadian to serve as a Canadian provincial cabinet minister, 54-year-old Sihota won the job today in an overwhelming vote at the biennial convention of B.C.'s opposition party. He garnered 364 votes compared to 96 votes for the only other candidate, Brian Fisher. Sihota, known as a tough critic of Liberals, has been a controversial and colourful cabinet minister in successful NDP administrations. He served in seve ....
India, Canada agree on historic n-deal( 29-Nov-2009 ) By Manish Chand India and Canada have agreed on a civil nuclear deal that will enable New Delhi to access Canadian nuclear technology and uranium after a gap of 34 years. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the development "augurs extremely well" for the ties between the nations. The deal is likely to be signed when Manmohan Singh goes to Canada to attend the G20 summit in June next year. The breakthrough was announced here Saturday after Manmohan Singh held talks with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at this Trinidad and Tobago capital. "We have now got an ....
Delhi High Court refuses bail to Indo-Canadian over wife's suicide( 27-Nov-2009 ) The Delhi High Court Friday refused to grant bail to a Canada-based NRI businessman who is accused of forcing his newly-wed wife to commit suicide barely four months after their marriage. Justice V.K. Jain refused to grant bail to Pawan Das, who left his wife Richa in India right after the marriage and refused to take her along with him to Canada, driving her to commit suicide. According to the prosecution, Pawan and Richa got married on Dec 11, 2003. He left for Canada soon after with a promise that he would take her to Canada soon. But Pawan kept postponing the matter and on April 4, 2004, Richa committed suicide. In her suicide note, Richa alleged ....
India has 'world-class health care', say Canadians( 26-Nov-2009 ) Canadians are increasingly looking to India for timely medical treatment as wait periods under the country's public health system get longer. Many are saying they would recommend India to anyone seeking "world-class health care" at a small cost. At this week's conference on medical tourism to India here, Canadians who benefited from medical treatment - heart operation, spine surgery or knee transplant - in India sang praises of the Indian healthcare system. Narrating their experiences at the three-day &qu ....
Indo-Canadian faces deportation( 25-Nov-2009 ) An Indo-Canadian man, who pleaded guilty to a violent rampage that prompted a police tactical team to swarm a quiet St. Boniface street, has been sentenced to four years in custody and faces deportation to India. Jagjeet Gill, 31, took matters into his own hands when he believed his children were being abused and his concerns were being ignored. The Winnipeg father was set to begin his preliminary hearing Monday morning but reached a last-minute resolution with the Crown. Gill admitted to 10 Criminal Code offences stemming from the August 2008 incident, including dangerous driving, assault with a weapon, forcible entry, uttering threats to kill and mi ....
Educated immigrants get lower wages in Canada: Report( 24-Nov-2009 ) On average, immigrants get lower wages in Canada, while rates of involuntary part-time work, temporary employment and over-qualification are higher, according to a new study. The report from Statistics Canada, based on data from last year's labour market, found there were key differences in many indicators of quality of employment between immigrants and non-immigrants. However, the report made public Monday, said for immigrants who landed in Canada more than 10 years ago, the indicators of quality of employment more closely resembled those of the Canadian born. Despite differences among many employment quality indicators, shares of immi ....
New Canadian business visa regime for Indian businessmen( 23-Nov-2009 ) Canadian Immigration has announced a new Canadian business visa regime for Indian businessmen to boost trade ties between the two countries. The new Canadian visa system, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said, will see applications from Indian citizens for business visas cleared within 24 hours. The fast Canadian Visa service also offers multiple entry visas to applicants. Along with the liberal business visa regime, Canada is also trying to double the number of Indian students coming to the country with a Canadian Study Permit, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said recently at a function in India organised by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Comme ....
Canada saved the India-US n-deal; it now needs to think beyond( 22-Nov-2009 ) By Ryan Touhey Canada and India have been reluctant dance partners in decades past for reasons ranging from a heated disagreement on nuclear non-proliferation to Cold War-era divergences to name but two.It is only in recent years that Ottawa has expressed an interest to make New Delhi one of its international priorities and is seeking to re-develop a historically neglected relationship. India has reciprocated this sentiment, although its interest has appeared more restrained. The Conservative Party government in Canada has despatched a steady stream of cabinet ministers to India since 2006 and has bolstered Canada's trade presence in India, as illus ....
Canada accepting highest ever immigrants in last 15 years( 20-Nov-2009 ) With aging population and impending labor problem, this year Canada is accepting highest ever number of immigrants from across the globe in last 15 years. Addressing a press conference in Ludhiana on Friday Lt. Col. B.S. Sandhu, Chairman and Managing Director, World Wide Immigration Consultancy Services (WWICS), revealed that with the introduction of fast track immigration, the entire procedure has grown simpler for the immigrants who can seek immigration under different categories of skilled worker category, federal investor category and Quebec investor category. He added that in last just couple of months as many as 74 immigrants, through WWICS, have ....
Harper's India visit high on symbolism( 19-Nov-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s three day visit to India had much of the Canadian media enthused, a reaction clearly not matched by their Indian counterparts. Coming after Jean Chretien’s visit in 2003 and his successor Paul Martin’s in 2005, the visit of Stephen Harper raised much speculation back home. The visit was deemed crucial for Canada’s interests at the time it is still working through the financial crisis that afflicted the countries world over. Increased trade opportunities a ....
Canadian PM Harper visits Golden Temple( 18-Nov-2009 ) Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Wednesday wrapped his India trip with a visit to the famed Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine, in Amritsar city of Punjab province during a trip that lasted less than three hours. Harper was accorded a warm red-carpet welcome by Sikh religious leaders at the Golden Temple complex when he arrived with a big entourage. Dressed in a black suit and a blue tie, Harper covered his head with a white cloth-scarf. He was accompanied by Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal all ....
India, Canada to talk free trade, clinch nuclear deal next year( 17-Nov-2009 ) India and Canada Tuesday signed an agreement to boost energy security and another accord for launching negotiations for a free trade area between them, but could not clinch a civil nuclear deal as details were still to be sorted out. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on a range of bilateral issues, including trade and investment, civil nuclear cooperation, the global financial crisis, terrorism and climate change. Two pacts were signed after wide-ranging talks. The pact on ....
Harper begins India tour with an eye on trade links( 16-Nov-2009 ) Prime Minister Stephen Harper began a three-day tour of India Monday with the declaration that "the South Asian tiger has awoken and the world is standing in awe." The Conservative prime minister on his first trip to India was addressing business people at city’s Trident hotel. Making a pitch to the business crowd to do more to increase trade between the two countries Harper said the two countries' combined GDP is on its way to $4 trillion dollars, yet two-way trade and investment amounts to just $5 bill ....
Canada enriched by contributions of Indo-Canadians: Harper( 16-Nov-2009 ) Stephen Harper with Stockwell Day : Picture by Kanwaljit Kanwal Text of the speech delivered by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in the meeting with business leaders in Mumbai on the first day of his visit to India on Monday: “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. “Thank you Stockwell for your very kind introduction. As the Minister of International Trade, Stockwell is one of the leading figures in our government’s unprecedented effort to reinvigorate Canada-India relations. ....
Nuclear deal, trade top Canada PM's India mission( 15-Nov-2009 ) Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's three-day visit to India from Sunday will be dominated by talks over a nuclear deal and new trade pacts in a bid warm a relationship that turned frosty when Ottawa cut off atomic trade after New Delhi's 1974 nuclear test. Accompanied by Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, International Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Parliamentary Secretary Deepak Obhrai, Harper lands in Mumbai Sunday night from Singapore after attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) summit. He will meet top Indian industrialists at a luncheon at the Trident Hotel in Mumbai Monday before leaving for New Delhi. ....
Hindus to build memorial to fallen Canadian soldiers( 13-Nov-2009 ) The Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization (CMOHC) will build a memorial to Canadian soldiers who have lost their lives in the eight-year-old mission in Afghanistan. Canada has lost more than 130 soldiers since it joined the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan in 2002. Most of the more than 2,500 Canadians troops are deployed in volatile Kandahar province. The Toronto-based Hindu organization becomes the first such body in Canada to express its gratitude to the fallen Canadian soldiers. "The internationally designed stone monument will be unveiled at the museum premises in Richmond Hill on April 10 next year,'' Shylee Someshwar, chairperson ....
Canadian PM, Manmohan to sign trade accords; n-deal unlikely( 12-Nov-2009 ) India and Canada will sign new trade agreements during Prime Minister Stephen Harper's three-day visit to India from Nov 16. However, the much-talked nuclear agreement on the lines of the US-India nuclear deal is unlikely to materialise as the two sides are still working on it, officials said. Accompanied by Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon, International Trade Minister Stockwell Day and Parliamentary Secretary Deepak Obhrai, the Canadian prime minister will land in Mumbai Nov 15 after attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Singapore. During his meetings with the Indian prime minister, Harper is likely to sign the Foreign Invest ....
Indo-Canadian Student missing in Brampton( 11-Nov-2009 ) An Indo-Canadian high school student from Brampton is missing since Monday. Officers from 21 Division of Peel police have appealed for assistance from the public, as they search for the 16 year-old Brampton resident Harpuneet Grewal. Harpuneet is described as male, South Asian, 6’2”, 180 lbs, with a slim build and a dark full beard. Harpuneet was last seen at approximately 8:15 a.m., on Monday, November 9, 2009, at Harold Braithwaite Secondary School, located at 415 Great Lakes Drive. Harp ....
Runaway grooms fail to deter Punjabis craving to emigrate( 10-Nov-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Plight of girls abandoned by their immigrant husbands in Punjab after marriage has failed to deter punjabis who continue to see marriage with someone settled abroad as the easiest route to greener pastures. With Canada among the most favoured of destinations, many such cases keep coming up at regular intervals in Punjab of Indo-Canadian boys visiting home to marry local girls, live with them for few days and then flying back never to come back. Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, President, Lok Bhalai Party revealed some more cases in Ludhiana on Monday as he brought together girls from different parts of Punjab to narrate their tales of woes. ....
Portraits of historic Punjab kings on display in Ondaatje Gallery( 09-Nov-2009 ) The Sir Christopher Ondaatje South Asian Gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is playing host to a special temporary display of two life-size portraits of historical kings of the state of Punjab in north-western India. From Saturday, November 28, 2009 to Sunday, March 28, 2010, the oil-on-canvas paintings by established portrait artist Manu Kaur Saluja will be showcased in the ‘Home & the World section’ of the Ondaatje Gallery, located on Level 3 of the ROM's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal. The two portrai ....
Canadian connection to Indian judge facing corruption charges( 08-Nov-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet An Indo-Canadian family, which hosted an Indian judge in Canada, has added to the problems of the beleagoured judge facing allegations of land grabbing and charges of corruption. Karnataka High Court Chief Justice PD Dinakaran has been accused of passing orders in favour of the family whose hospitality he’d enjoyed while in Canada. Dinakaran has been in an eye of storm after a group of eminent jurists wrote to the Chief Justice of India last month opposing his promotion to the Supreme Court of India, leveling serious corruption charges against him. The Tamil Nadu state government too has confirmed that he has encroached on lar ....
Shoe-throwing scribe honoured by Sikhs in Canada( 06-Nov-2009 ) Jarnail Singh, the Sikh journalist who hurled his shoe at Home Minister P. Chidambaram at a press conference to protest the injustice meted out to the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, has been conferred an award by the community in Canada. Set to release his book "I Accused..." on the anti-Sikh riots, Singh has been making appearances in various gatherings after being asked to resign from Dainik Jagran, the Hindi daily he worked for. Recently, he was in Canada where he was awarded the "Lion of Delhi" awar ....
Fraudulent moving companies targeting South-Asians in GTA( 05-Nov-2009 ) The Toronto Police Service has issued an advisory against some moving companies defrauding customers that have been targeting the South Asian communities throughout the GTA. Explaining their modus-operandi the Detective Constable Peter Ward, Fraud Squad said these moving companies post advertisements in local papers, free news papers, and online. The company will quote a very low cost and then have the client sign a contract on the day of the move, which is usually not read by the client. They ask for a deposit up front, before any work has been done. As they are halfway through the job, they increase the cost of the job. If a client refuses to pay the in ....
Major problems with Canada's immigration program: Auditor General( 04-Nov-2009 ) Current practices of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) do not ensure that foreign worker programs are delivered efficiently and effectively. The scathing indictment has come in the 2009 Fall Report of the Auditor General of Canada on Selecting Foreign Workers under the Immigration Program. Exposing major problems with key aspects of Canada's immigration system the Auditor-General Sheila Fraser released the report which was tabled Tuesday in Parliament. The report goes on to warn that the delivery of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program pose significant risks to the integrity of the p ....
Fake visa scam involving Canada busted in India( 03-Nov-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet One of the biggest fake visa scams in years involving Canada has been busted with arrest of five persons, three in New DelhiPunjab. and two in The alleged criminal operation came to light on Oct. 13 when a 22-year-old man from Punjab, Sukhdeep Singh filed a complaint, saying that he and three relatives had been fleeced out of $32,000. Singh complained that in late August he went to the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi to apply for a visa to Canada when he was approached by a man named Sandeep Kaul. He told him he could guarantee Singh a visa for $16,000. Singh and three of his relatives paid Kaul half his asking price of $64 ....
Indo-Canadian dupes another in money transaction from India( 02-Nov-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet An Indo-Canadian man who lost six million rupees he had sent to his son from India through illegal hawala route has charged another Indo-Canadian in connoivance with his accomplice in India of duping him of his money. Harnek Singh of Rasulpur village near Jagraon in Indian province of Punjab, now residing in Canada, has two sons, one in IndiaIndia in May this year. and the other settled in US now. Harnek Singh sold their family land measuring 1.5 acres for 1.5 crores when he visited He arranged for an amount of Rs six million sent to his son in US through another Indo-Canadian, Vicky. On his directions he handed over the amount to ....
25 years on, few takers for Khalistan in Canada( 01-Nov-2009 ) There are few supporters for Khalistan in Canada today - 25 years after the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her own Sikh bodyguards. Outside India, Canada was the worst affected by the Khalistan movement, for a separate Sikh state, at its peak in the 1980s. Sikh radicals openly indulged in violence to further their goal of Khalistan. Though nobody was found guilty by a trial court here, Sikh radicals plotted the bombing of the Air India Kanishka flight that killed all 329 passengers aboard in June 1985. The radicals also plotted to kill then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and ruthlessly suppressed moderate voices in the community. ....
Marriage frauds in the name of immigration to Canada( 30-Oct-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Canada continues to be one of the most favoured destinations for those wishing to migrate from Punjab as the desperation of people brings in more and more of swindlers. In the latest instance two cases have come to light near Ludhiana with promise of immigration after marriage a common ruse in both. In Jagraon, Jagroop Singh a resident of village Bodde near Badhni Kalan in Moga district accused a girl Anita Hans of promising to send his son Jagjit Singh to Canada for Rs 41 lakhs. Jagroop Singh alleged that he had paid Rs 35 lakhs to the people who arranged the match. The marriage was solemnized with great pomp and show. Two days af ....
Indo-Canadian facing extradition to US gets breather( 29-Oct-2009 ) A city court in New Delhi has given another breather to Avtar Grewal, an Indo-Canadian facing extradition proceedings to US from India for murdering his wife in 2007 at Phoenix City. The court on Tuesday asked Grewal to file a case citing laws supporting his plea that he cannot be extradited as the US has failed to give an assurance that he will not be sentenced to death. November 13 has been fixed as next of date of for hearing the case. Grewal, who flew to Arizona in US from Canada to kill his wife Navneet Kaur, was ....
Indo-Canadian youth found murdered in car identified( 28-Oct-2009 ) The body of Indo-Canadian youth found in a car in Surrey Lake Park Monday afternoon has been identified as that of 23-year-old Gurpreet Singh Bassi of Surrey. Bassi, known as Garry to friends, is known to police and RCMP believes it was a targeted killing. Although there are no confirmed links to gang or organized crime activity, but Integrated Homicide Investigation investigators are exploring that as a possibility too. The body was located on the afternoon of Monday October 26th, 2009 at approximately 4:45 ....
Canadian consulate rescues Indo-Canadian teen( 27-Oct-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet An Indo-Canadian girl from Toronto, who charged her family of forcing her to stay back on a visit to Punjab, was taken back by Canadian Consulate officials on Monday. In an apparent case of clash of cultural values, 19-year-old Hardeep Kaur, who migrated with her parents to Canada in 1996, complained that she was being held against her will. She had come to India with her mother about four months ago and had been staying at her aunt’s place at Phagwara town near Jalandhar. On receiving the complaint the Canadian High Commission officials got in touch with the district police chief, Ram Singh. The Phagwara police swung into action immediately an ....
Dr. Kular in a hit-and-run case( 26-Oct-2009 )Toronto: Member of the provincial parliament Dr. Kuldip Kular is likely to be charged in a hit-and-run accident. The physician, who represents Bramalea-Gore-Malton, which has a large Sikh population, is said to have hit a pedestrian at the intersection of two busy roads. The pedestrian was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Dr. Kular, a Liberal MPP since 2003, may be charged for not staying at the place of the accident and not providing all information to police. Dr. Kular says he is "cooperating with police". Police said the char ....
Earring bandit targeting Indo-Canadian women in Surrey( 22-Oct-2009 ) The RCMP is searching for a man who targets Indo-Canadian women for the gold earrings worn by them in Surrey, BC. RCMP says there have been six robberies between the 15th of September & the 3rd of October, 2009 in which a suspect snatches gold earrings worn by these women. According to the Surrey RCMP, there is the potential that other robberies with similar descriptions may have occurred. The robberies have been concentrated near a shopping area at 128th Street and 96th Avenue. The suspect approaches lone 38 to 69 years old females from behind and proceeds to snatch an earring from one of the victim’s ears. No injuries have been sustaine ....
Canadian Sikh allowed to enter Punjab after 6 days ordeal( 21-Oct-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet The six days ordeal of Kuldip Singh, detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Indian capital New Delhi for being on Indian black-list, ended with the intervention of Delhi High Court. The High Court allowed on Wednesday Kuldip Singh, a radio host well known among Indo-Canadian community in Canada, to go to Punjab. Kuldip Singh was granted visa in July for the marriage of his son, scheduled for November 8 in Patiala, Punjab. But he was detained as soon as he landed at Delhi airport along ....
Parents of Indo-Canadian man killed in gang hit file lawsuit( 20-Oct-2009 ) Parents of an Indo-Canadian youth, who was among six killed in gang related violence in Surrey, B.C. in October of 2007, have filed a civil lawsuit against several men accused. Chris Mohan, 22, was found dead among six others in apartment 1505 at the Balmoral Towers at 9830 East Whalley Ring Road. Mohan and a gas fireplace repairman Edward J. Schellenberg, 55 were then described by police as “in the wrong place at the wrong time." Cory Lal, 21, Edward Narong, 22 and brothers Michael and Ryan Bartolomeo were al ....
Canada intercepts Tamil migrants off West Coast( 19-Oct-2009 ) A ship containing undocumented migrant men, 76 males, said to be Tamils seeking asylum in Canada, pulled into Ogden Point marina on Friday. The coast guard and the navy intercepted the vessel named Ocean Lady off the coast of B.C. and towed it to Victoria. The men were all taken into custody and ferried to Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre for screening. From there they were transported to a correctional facility on the Lower Mainland. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) will continue to examine their admi ....
Deserter Indo-Canadian man made to pay wife Rs 15 lakh( 18-Oct-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet A Canada-based Punjabi family was made to pay Rs 15 lakh compensation to their deserted daughter-in-law in India with "community mediation". The out of court settlement came at an initiative taken by Lok Bhalai Party (LBP), a political party active in issues concerning NRIs. Kuldeep Kaur, 28, a resident of Ferozepur district, was wedded in February 2007 to Surinderjit Singh Bargadi, an Indo-Canadian. But her husband left one month after the wedding never to return. Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, LBP President, said that the girl’s family faced harassment for two years, making rounds of police stations and other government o ....
PM Harper greets community on Diwali( 16-Oct-2009 ) Prime Minister Stephen Harper has extended greetings to everyone across Canada celebrating Diwali. “This is a special time of year, when members of the South Asian community honour some of humanity’s highest ideals,” he said in a statement. The statement read: The Festival of Lights illuminates the universal aspirations of all people for the renewal of life and the triumph of good over evil. At its heart, the diya symbolizes the light of knowledge, which guides our individual and collective quests for enlig ....
Seven more Sikhs out of Indian Black List( 15-Oct-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet: There is a renewed hope for blacklisted Sikhs in Canada and other countries, who can't visit India now. A detailed exercise for review of cases of 51 blacklisted Sikh NRIS, which include unspecified number of Indo-Canadians, has been undertaken by the Indian home ministry. “Out of these fifty one cases, names of seven Sikh NRIs in the Black List have since been deleted after following prescribed procedure,” stated Union Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandran. The review was due, the minister said. He gave this information in response to a letter dated September 26 by the Congress MLA Sukhpal Si ....
Indo-Canadian woman found dead with babies gave birth in 2005( 14-Oct-2009 ) Mystery surrounding the murder of a young Sikh woman and three newborn kids in Calgary last week deepened with revelations that she gave birth to a healthy child in hospital in late 2005. Inspector Guy Slater of the city crime branch revealed that hospital records show that. He said the police, however, don't know whether the baby born in 2005 was among the three found dead. The police is calling the case "complex and delicate". They are not even saying if it was a murder. She was found dead by her common-law husband Harnek Mahal in their rented basement suite they shared in a northeast Calgary on Oct. 4. When police came to the sui ....
Wife of death row convict in India pleads to decide on clemency( 13-Oct-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Wife of alleged Khalistani militant, Devinderpal Singh Bhullar is in India, on what has now become once a yearly visit, to meet her husband on death row since 2001, in Tihar jail in Indian capital, New Delhi. “The life that we are leading at present is worse than death,” said Navneet Kaur talking to the South Asian Observer, as she pleaded with the Government of India to decide on his petition. Bhullar’s mercy plea is with the president, who can, according to Indian law, ....
Steady decrease in Indian immigrants in Canada( 12-Oct-2009 ) As India continues to make economic strides, there has been a steady decrease in number of Permanent Residents in Canada that come from India, since 2005, as shown in the Immigration department statistics. Punjabi, meanwhile, retains its top position among the native Indian languages at sixth position. The number of permanent residents by mother tongue puts it ahead of Urdu, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Bengali. India had 17,457 permanent residents accepted in Canada in 1999. The department statistics show the number kept on increasing till 2002, when it was 28,838. It dropped to 24,594 in 2003. There was a slight increase the next year at 25,573. In 200 ....
No end to mystery behind discovery of infants' bodies, dead woman( 11-Oct-2009 ) Mystery continues to shroud discovery of three dead newborns and a dead Indo-Canadian woman in North-east Calgary in absence of any details forthcoming from police. Conflicting reports have been coming about whether the dead woman Harsimrat Kahlon, living with her boyfriend, Harnek Mahal, was pregnant or the dead newborns, found concealed in suitcases belonged to her. DNA tests have been ordered to determine the biological connection of the dead children, said to be two girls and a boy, to the 27 year old woman. The landlord, neighbours and acquaintances have been reported saying they never saw or heard any children. Kahlon's family has been dista ....
Indo-Canadian who disappeared in 2001 was murdered( 09-Oct-2009 ) On the eighth anniversary of disappearance of an Indo-Canadian Man in Surrey, which led to speculations of drug links then, RCMP has come clear that he was just an innocent victim caught in the crossfire of a bitter rivalry. RCMP has now made an emotional plea for info in the murder appealing to public for any leads on that. 28-year-old Narinder "Ned" Mander of Richmond disappeared on October 9th, 2001 when he was last seen at his Surrey granite and marble business. It was announced at that time that he had likely m ....
Indo-Canadian Teen charged in New Westminster shooting( 08-Oct-2009 ) A 19 year old Indo-Canadian youth has been charged in the New Westminster shooting on Sunday morning in which a man was shot in the hand. Identified as Armanjot Singh Dhillon, he has been remanded in custody until October 21st, 2009 facing one count of unauthorized possession of a firearm. Additional weapons charges are being considered and potential suspect associates are being identified even as major crime detectives continue their investigation.. On October 4th at 0130 hours, the New Westminster police attended the 22nd street SkyTrain station responding to reports of a male suffering from a gunshot wound to the hand. At scene, the victim was loca ....
Sikh extremist activity minimal in recent years: Report( 07-Oct-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet: Sikh extremist activity in Canada, considered a cause of concern in Indian security establishment, is "minimal in recent years" according to a report, titled "Canada: Bi-Annual Update on the Threat from Terrorists and Extremists". The Integrated Threat Assessment Centre report, however, underscores that separatism "provides an undercurrent of tension in various regions of Canada, most prominently in Quebec." Dated last November, the report was only recently released under the Access to Information Act, Canadian media reported. There had been a sustained propaganda for Khalistan, a separate Sik ....
Canada best for immigrants, says UNDP( 06-Oct-2009 ) Canada has been lauded as a role model for the rest of the world for accepting new immigrants. A new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) praises Canada for its liberal and fair immigration policies. Canada accepts more immigrants per capita than any other nation on earth in proportion to its population. With a population of about 34 million, Canada accepts more than 250,000 immigrants each year. They come from more than 150 countries, with India and China topping as the two main sources for immigration. More than 30,000 Indians enter Canada as new immigrant each year, though it may take them up to six years to get their applicati ....
Canadian PM to visit India next month( 05-Oct-2009 )Toronto: Responding to an invitation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit India next month. Though no official announcement of the prime minister's visit has yet been made, Canwest news agency quoted official sources in Ottawa as saying that Harper will be India Nov 15-18. During his meetings with the Indian prime minister, Harper will in all likelihood ink a free trade agreement to boost bilateral trade between the two countries. Apart from New Delhi, the Canadian prime minister is als ....
Indo-Canadian shot dead in gang war( 02-Oct-2009 )Vancouover: Gang war in Vancouver has resulted in yet another shooting of anIndo-Canadian. Rajinder Singh Soomel, 35, of Surrey, was shot dead at about 10:20 pm on Sept 13 on Cambie Street at West 19th Avenue. Soomel had just come out of prison on a parole after serving some time of his three-year sentence in the attempted murder of Hardip Uppal in 2008. Uppal was a witness in a trial against Soomel's younger brother, Robbie, who is a convicted murderer. He is alleged that Uppal knows more about the case relating to the murder ....
NDP MPs demand changes to visitor visa process( 30-Sep-2009 ) Canadian immigration officials in foreign countries have often refused visitor visas to people wanting to come to Canada. The arbitrary process has often resulted in many genuine visitors being denied entry. Cases, where relatives who intend to come to Canada for weddings, funerals or religious meetings have come to light. Often, unsuccessful applicants have been left with no recourse. New Democratic Party (NDP) immigration critic Olivia Chow (Triinity-Spadina, Ontario) and Victoria, BC, MP Denies Savoie are demanding changes to the approval process. “Denying entry to people who simply wish to celebrate at weddings or remember loved ones at funerals, with ....
Indo-Canadian faces extradition to US from India( 29-Sep-2009 ) Fate of an Indo-Canadian facing extradition to US from India for murdering his wife in 2007, will be decided on Wednesday, September 30. Avtar Grewal, who flew to Arizona from Canada to kill his wife Navneet Kaur, was arrested at New Delhi airport on March 31, 2007. Grewal, lodged at Tihar jail in New Delhi, is now contesting his extradition to Arizona in a rare case that will test Canada's obligation for a Canadian resident caught in the justice systems of two other countries. Grewal, who moved to Canada in 2005 as a per ....
Dalai Lama kicks off Vancouver Peace Summit( 28-Sep-2009 ) The Dalai Lama kicked off the 2009 Vancouver Peace Summit with an address emphasising about the need to foster peace from the inside out. The Dalai Lama was welcomed by enthusiastic British Columbians as the world-famous teachers joined Nobel Peace Prize winners and spiritual, corporate and social leaders in two public dialogues on Sunday at the University of B.C.'s Chan Centre. The exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader was clearly the star attraction at the three-day conference in which spiritual and humanitarian notables ha ....
Punjabi to be Canada's 4th biggest language by 2011( 27-Sep-2009 )Toronto, Sep 27: Punjabi is set to become the fourth largest spoken language in Canada by 2011 after English, French and Chinese, according to Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney. The minister made the announcement Friday night after inaugurating the seventh Spinning Wheel Film Festival at the Royal Ontario Museum here that will feature films by or about Sikhs. More than two dozen films from around the world will be screened at the two-day festival. Before opening the event, the minister unveiled two huge portraits of Maharaja Ranj ....
2 Indo-Canadians suspect in PIN pad scam( 25-Sep-2009 ) Vancouver: Two Indo-Canadian men are suspects in a PIN pad scam that occurred on Aug 28 at the Safeway located in University Heights Mall (3958 Shelbourne St.) at Saanich, Victoria, BC. Both have been described as 25- to 30-year-old Indo-Canadian males. One of them is said to be approximately 6' tall, with black spiked hair. He was wearing white board shorts and sandals at the times of the incident. The second man is described as approximately 5'10" in height. He was wearing a grey, hooded sweatshirt and a white baseball hat. According to Saanich police two men approached the pharmacy around 9 pm and asked to pick up a prescription for a ....
Harbhajan Mann to perform at Vancouver Olympiad( 24-Sep-2009 ) Popular Punjabi singer and actor Harbhajan Mann has been invited by the Canadian Government to perform at the Cultural Olympiad lineup, prior to the Winter Olympics 2010. Showcasing the diversity of Canadian culture, Mann will be among the performers from Uganda, Japan and Taiwan, leading the Bhangra celebrations at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on 27, February 2010. According to the Olympics official website, the singer and movie star Harbhajan Mann headlines, mixing fast-paced bhangra rhythms and trademark Punjabi ballads. ....
Konkani film wins award at Toronto festival( 20-Sep-2009 )Toronto, Sep 20: "The Man Beyond the Bridge" (Paltadacho Munis), the Konkan film that created a buzz at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) here, has been given the Discovery award by film critics. The 96-minute film, which Goan filmmaker Laxmikant Shetgaonkar made with assistance from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), was lauded by audiences for dealing with major dilemmas - faith, the environment and social taboos. On the closing day of the 10-day film festival, the International Federation of Film Critic ....
Abhay Deol on the right 'Road' (an exlcusive interview)( 15-Sep-2009 ) Road not taken’ is ‘Road now taken’ for the young seasoned actor Abhay Deol. Breaking from the Deol mould of "action heroes", Abhay has come a long way in proving his own identity. The actor is in Toronto for the world premier of Road, Movie, a film by Dev Benegal. Abhay Deol spoke to Kiranpreet Cheema about the movie and himself. Your first reaction after reading the script and your character? I found it cute, happy and humorous. The script was different and had lot of internationa ....
Satishspeak( 15-Sep-2009 ) Satish Kaushik , one of the veteran directors of masala movies, is rediscovering himself as an actor in a different role. He performed brilliantly in Bricklane and now has a role Road, Movie. "I play a character called Om. It’s like when you enchant Om, whole life comes into a system. Om accompanies Vishnu in his journey and experiences." Indian Cinema has come a long way. In our times the maximum number of films was a status symbol. Now the time has changed with actors like Abhay preferring to do one film i ....
Toronto's Heart Goes Hadippa Over Rani( 14-Sep-2009 ) By Kiranpreet Cheema: Amidst hadippa and balle balle Rani Mukherjee left her hangover at 34th Annual Toronto Film Festival. Rani mesmerized everyone when she walked the red carpet wearing a dark purple gown. Fans gathered in large numbers to catch glimpse of Rani. For most of them she passing a smile at them was more than enough though some were successful in getting her autograph. After the movie was premiered people came out in high spirits with a common word on their lips… Hadippa. "It’s very important ....
India Wins Compaq Cup 2009( 14-Sep-2009 ) Colombo: India defeated Sri Lanka by 46 runs in the the final of the Compaq Cup tri-series One-Day International cricket at the R. Premadasa stadium here on Monday. Chasing 320, Sri Lanka were all out for 273 in 46.4 overs with Harbhajan Singh returning an impressive haul of 5 for 56. Sachin Tendulkar (138) cracked his 44th ODI century while Yuvraj Singh (56 not out) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (56) chipped in with useful contribution to pile on a competitive score. Tillakaratne Dilshan (42) and Sanath Jayasuriya (36) gave Sri Lanka a fly ....
Rani Mukherjee arrives in Toronto( 12-Sep-2009 )By A Staff Writer: One of the most awaited moments of 2009 Toronto International Film Festival for South Asians are near now. As the lead star of the movie 'Dil Bole Hadippa' Rani Mukherjee is already in the town. Rani has tight schedule including uncountable interviews on local radio channels. Airport was full of her fans and admirers waiting for her arrival. She had to traverse through lot of hands which were anticipating her autograph. Rani Mukherjee will have the honor of walking down the red carpet with Debutant Director Anurag ....
Priti is PC candidate for Etobicoke North( 09-Sep-2009 ) By A Staff Writer: Educator and community activist, Priti Lamba has been nominated as the Conservative party of Canada candidate for Etobiocke North for the next federal election. No other candidate filed for nomination. Speaking to South Asian Observer, Priti said, "I am excited, surprised and feeling proud." Priti, who came to Canada in 1981, works as a teacher at Humber and Centennial Colleges. She further added, "Canada was the last country to enter the global recession and is the first ....
Fake Visa Stickers of Canada recovered from duo arrested in Delhi( 07-Sep-2009 ) An international human trafficking racket has been unearthed in Indian capital New Delhi with the arrest of two persons. Fake visa stickers for Canada were recovered from the duo besides 49 passports. The Special Operation Squad of Delhi Police arrested Hussain Samadi (49), a Jordanian and Paramjeet Singh Sandhu (53), a resident of Jalandhar on August 26 in South Delhi. The due was operating together since 2007 and had sent over 300 people illegally to the US, UK, and Canada using forged documents. Samadi is even said to have been running a school in Delhi that taught would be immigrants how to face the interview in foreign countries. According to De ....
Chandigarh boy arrested for lewd act on 5 year old in Ontario( 06-Sep-2009 ) An Indo-Canadian was arrested and charged with committing a lewd act on a five-year-old boy at an apartment complex pool. 18 year old Sukhwinder Singh, born in Chandigarh, India, is a student at Universal Technical Institute in Rancho Cucamonga. He pleaded not guilty to the charge Friday in West Valley Superior Court as he claimed that he only tickled the boy as he wanted to make friends with the boy. Singh and the boy live at an apartment complex at 1352 W. Fifth St., Ontario where he had moved about Aug. 17. On Tuesday, Singh and the boy were swimming in the pool when the boy accused Singh of putting his hands in his swimsuit and touching ....
Canadian connection to torture revelations in US( 04-Sep-2009 ) The latest revelations of abuse of prisoners in American custody have a Canadian connection. Jameel Jaffer and Amrit Singh, both working for American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed the request under Freedom of Information Act unearthing thousands of pages of secret documents that have created a storm world over while renewing the debate on torture as a means of interrogation. Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project happens to be a Canadian of South Asian origin. Amrit Singh, a staff attorney, incidentally ....
(BREAKING NEWS) Andhra CM dies in Chopper crash( 03-Sep-2009 )Shock waves hit India when the news of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy's death came out. YSR alongwith four other persons were killed in the helicopter that crashed in the Nallamala Hills in bad weather yesterday losing radio contact an hour after take off from Hyderabad. The bodies of 60-year-old Reddy, who led his Congress party to a spectacular second consecutive victory in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls, and his Special Secretary P Subramanyam, Chief Security Officer ASC Wesley, pilot Group Captain SK Bha ....
Sikh hijacker facing deportation claims to be a changed man( 02-Sep-2009 ) The Sikh man facing deportation from Canada for hijacking an Indian airliner 24 years ago is claiming to have left the days behind as hearing on his appeal to be allowed to remain in Canada is being heard. Parminder Singh Saini, testifying at a "good character" hearing at the Law Society of Upper Canada, tried to convince that he's rehabilitated and should be called to practice law in Ontario. In July 1984, Saini was accused of commandeering a five-man group that hijacked an Indian Airlines jet with 265 passengers. T ....
Snap poll in Canada likely( 01-Sep-2009 ) Canada, which has not seen a majority government since 2004, faces the prospect of its fourth general election in five years. In his statements Monday, opposition Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff didn't rule out the possibility of a snap election to end the minority rule of the Conservative Party. The ruling party led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper came to power in January 2006 after toppling the Liberal Party which was plagued by a so-called sponsorship scandal under which it doled out millions to its favourites in Quebec province. But the minority government opted for election last October but gained only a few more seats more, still falling ....
Canada needs to redress its neglectful relationship with India, argues new study( 30-Aug-2009 ) It is time to reconsider Canada’s bilateral relationship with rising India and Ottawa should develop practical niche linkages with New Delhi, argues a new paper released by the Canadian International Council (CIC). The paper by Ryan Touhey, a history professor at St Jerome's University at the University of Waterloo, outlines three such areas that need strengthening - public diplomacy/advocacy efforts; post-secondary linkages with Indian students, universities and colleges and nascent science and technology (S&T) linkages. "India is a leading democratic economic power in Asia" says Dr Touhey. "So, it would seem to be a part ....
Sikh Diaspora support for separatist cause in Punjab in focus( 29-Aug-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet: After arrest of Daljit Singh Bittu in Punjab, the support for Sikh separatists’ cause by a section of Sikh diaspora has been brought to focus once again. Bittu was arrested on Thursday evening after a suspected terrorist, Balbir Singh Bhootna, nabbed at Ludhiana railway station, named him. Police chief Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said in Ludhiana that Bittu and his men were being funded by people abroad and that a lot of unaccounted money had come to them in the recent past. He didn’t name any spe ....
Indo-Canadian woman alleges molestation bid by cop in Punjab( 27-Aug-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet An Indo-Canadian woman, pursuing a case against her husband for deserting her after she helped him get to Canada, has alleged that a police officer in the Indian province of Punjab attempted to molest her. The woman, who originally hails from Muktsar town in Punjab, is now settled in Vancouver. She had married Gurpreet Singh of Darapur village near Moga in Punjab, after her first marriage ended in divorce. She has two children from her earlier marriage. She complained that her husband was already married in India but hid the fact from her. She came to know of his earlier marriage only when she managed to get him to Canada on the basis o ....
Man who faked his own ‘abduction’ gets bail( 26-Aug-2009 )The 22-year-old University of Toronto student who faked his “abduction” was produced in a court and granted bail. He was charge with creating mischief. The man disappeared after saying he was being followed by three armed men. But police received an anonymous call and tracked Furqan Muhammad-Haroon in St. Catharines. The man had said he was taken from the Midland Ave. and Ellesmere Rd area in Scarborough. Det. Karen Hunte, one of the investigators on the case, didn't make it clear if he was found in a hotel or at a friend's ....
NEW BEAUTY QUEEN (This one's for you, Mom! exclaims a jubilant Aanchal Dogra)( 24-Aug-2009 )Observer News Service: After a surprised look on her face after the announcement of her name and after the crown was placed on her head and a sash across her shoulder, Aanchal Dogra wiped a tear from her eye. The Mississauga girl then did her victory walk on stage to the cheers and wolf-whistles from the audience. As soon as her family rushed up on the stage, the 25-year-old physical therapist and kinesiologist hugged her mother and proclaimed, This one's for you, Mom! At least this part wasn't surprising. In her short bio in the event& ....
Large Indo-Canadian community makes India ideal travel market( 23-Aug-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet: The large Indo-Canadian community makes India a lucrative travel market for Canada. According to 2009 market analysis of India by Canadian Tourism Commission’s (CTC) Research department, strong Canadian family ties in the world’s second-most populous country make it ripe for this ideal travel market. The statistics, too, back up the findings. According to the report, last year approximately 111,000 arrivals were reported from India to Canada. This makes up an 8% share of Asian travellers to Canada. The major countries vying for this travel share with Canada are US, UK, Switzerland and Australia, in that order, with Canada o ....
Rani, Priyanka among guests at Toronto film fest( 21-Aug-2009 )By Gurmukh Singh Bollywood directors Ashutosh Gowariker and Anurag Singh and stars Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra, Lisa Ray and Harman Baweja will rub shoulders with George Clooney, Demi Moore, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and talk show queen Oprah Winfrey at this year's Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) next month. The 34th annual mega-film show will run here from Sep 10-19. Anurag Singh's "Dil Bole Hadippa" and Ashutosh Gowariker's "What's Your Rashee?" will make their world premiere at the festi ....
Latest Circulation Statements released for South Asian Observer( 18-Aug-2009 ) By Mala Kashyap: CCAB has released South Asian Observer''s Circulation Statement showing a weekly qualified circulation of 23,290 copies. In addition to this, South Asian Observer has entered into a distribution arrangement with Metroland to distribute another 5,000 copies in GO stations and TTC stations in GTA from June, 2009. The circulation figures are for the period October 2008 to March 2009. This makes South Asian Observer one of the largest-circulated newspaper serving the South Asian commu ....
Sikh security guard seeking damages for discrimination( 17-Aug-2009 ) The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal is hearing the charges of discrimination leveled by a Sikh Indo-Canadian, renewing once again debate on religious beliefs at odds with the majority way of life. The Sikh security guard, Deepinder Loomba had accused the Milton home depot he worked for, of discriminating against him after he refused to take off his turban for a hard hat in an incident on Dec. 6, 2005. 51 year old immigrant who arrived from Uganda in 2002 had alleged that he was told that he was required to wear a hard hat to patrol outside, despite construction taking place inside the store. Loomba, an employee of Reilly's Security Services, clai ....
Consulor access to Indo-Canadian arrested in India( 16-Aug-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet The arrest of an Indo-Canadian in Indian province of Punjab has got the attention of Canada High Commission. Consulor access has been provided to Jagdev Singh, one of the accused in 18-year-old murder case of the then Moga MLA Nachhattar Singh Gill, father of the present Punjab DGP P S Gill and another senior IPS officer RS Gill. Jagdev Singh, however, has been arrested for forgery and cheating. He was sent to 15 days of judicial custody on August 14 after his police remand was over. A three-member Canadian high commission team visited Moga in Punjab to ascertain the facts, first hand. The team met senior district police off ....
Freak accident of young woman stuns family, friends( 14-Aug-2009 ) A freak accident that claimed the life of a 29 year old woman, Rehana Sheeraz Allidina in Calgary has the family and friends shocked. On Thursday Allidina was crushed to death after leaning out of her SUV's door ostensibly to retrieve a parking ticket she dropped at the downtown parkade's automated exit station on 9th Avenue S. W. in the 400 block. Her Acura SUV rolled forward, pinning her body between the car and the opened door. The vehicle hit the parking post barrier and came to rest but she was killed instantly. The t ....
Fraudulent visa for Canada lands four in jail( 13-Aug-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Yet another racket of sending people illegally to Canada from Punjab has surfaced with arrest of four persons. The four were arrested at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on August 2 while trying to board a Japan Airlines flight along with the Punjab Police contingent. The contingent was headed for 13th World Police Games at British Columbia. None of them, it was found out, were employed with Punjab police. Immigration officials detected the fraud just before they were to board the plane. The accused cop was also with them but fled from the scene when the four men were nabbed. It was revealed during the interrogation ....
Net IP Conference to be held in Toronto in September( 11-Aug-2009 )By Mala Kashyap - The 18th Annual Network of Indian Professionals (Net IP) Conference will be held in the heart of downtown Toronto at the Sheraton Centre this Labour Day Weekend from Sept 4th to Sept 6th. Net IP is a non-profit organization dedicated to the overall achievement and enhancement of South Asian professionals. Originally founded in Chicago, Net IP now has over 3000 members and 22 chapters across North America and has built the organization upon the four pillars being professional development, cultural awareness ....
Call for pardon to ex-communicated Sikhs stokes orthodox ire( 10-Aug-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Call for pardon to two Indo-Canadian Sikhs ex-communicated by Akal Takhat has evoked strong reactions among diaspora bringing spotlight once again on the Non Resident Indian Sikh politics and the legacy of Khalistan. Kashmir Singh Dhaliwal and Balwant Singh Gill were among the six Sikhs ex-communicated for defying edict issued by the controversial Jathedar of Akal Takhat, Ranjit Singh in April 1998 against serving food on tables in gurdwaras. The issue with Akal Takhat apart, Gill and Dhaliwal have been kno ....
Indo-Canadian family escapes crash, click rare photographs( 09-Aug-2009 ) Pictures captured by an Indo- Canadian tourist of a mid-air collision of two aircraft in US, have become much sought after. A sightseeing helicopter and a small piper aircraft collided and crashed in the waters of the Hudson River Saturday in New York and New Jersey. The pilots of both the helicopter and plane, along with seven on board both, nine in all, are reported dead. Indra Singh of Ottawa on a sightseeing tour considered going on the ill-fated helicopter but changed plan when she found the $150 charges too high. Singh ....
Direct flight from Canada to Amritsar and Chandigarh likely( 07-Aug-2009 ) There may be a direct Air Slovakia flight from Canada to Amritsar and Chandigarh soon. The airline is in talks for operating flights to Canada from Amritsar and Chandigarh, said CEO Riqbal `Rockey’ Singh. “We are in touch with authorities concerned to meet bilateral requirements,” he informed. Meanwhile Air Slovakia has announced it will fly London, Italy and Spain from Chandigarh and Amritsar from next month. The inaugural flight to Barcelona in Spain and Brescia in Italy will take off from Rajasansi International Airport, Amritsar, on September 14 and 15, flights from Chandigarh to London and Bergamo in Italy are set for a October-end lau ....
'Militant' back from Canada arrested in Punjab( 05-Aug-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Canada has been one of the destinations for many of the Sikh militants and their sympathisers, who escaped abroad as terrorism was contained in Punjab. Jagdev Singh, one of the accused in the murder of Nachhattar Singh Gill, former MLA and father of present Punjab police chief PS Gill and another senior police officer RS Gill, was arrested from Moga in Indian province of Punjab on Tuesday night. Nachhattar Singh Gill was elected to the Punjab Assembly from Moga twice, first in 1967 and again in 1980. Earlier he served as Municipal Commissioner of Moga for 12 years and Chairman of the Moga Improvement Trust for three years. ....
Indo-Canadian Pleads Guilty to Cocaine Smuggling in US( 04-Aug-2009 ) An Indo-Canadian professional kabaddi player and coach, arrested last year for his role in a cocaine-smuggling conspiracy in US, has pleaded guilty. He will be sentenced in October and faces 10 years to life, plus a $4 million fine. Davinder pleaded guilty Monday in Fresno District Court in California to conspiring to purchase and resell 187 pounds of the drug in Canada. Davinder Singh had migrated from Kala Sanghian, Kapurthala in Punjab to Canada to settle in Delta area in British Columbia. His co-accused Thai Hoang Nguyen, from Surrey, had already pleaded guilty last month in the case. Two others are awaiting trial. The four men gang was busted in ....
Toronto-based Elesh Parujanwala is Rakhi Sawant's life partner!( 03-Aug-2009 )Mumbai, August 3: Toronto-based Elesh Parujanwala was selected by Item girl Rakhi Sawant as her life partner in India's first televised 'swayamvar' that concluded here late Sunday. In 'Rakhi ka Swayamvar', a unique reality TV show on NDTV Imagine, Rakhi made the final choice from the three finalists -- from the original list of 16 contestants in 26 episodes. The other two finalists were young aspirant Manas Katyal and businessman Chhitiz Jain, both from New Delhi. "I have been watching Elesh from day one. On and ....
Holy book salvaged from blaze in school, suspected to be arson( 31-Jul-2009 ) The devastating fire destroyed much of the Khalsa Elementary School in East Vancouver but the Sikh community took solace from the fact that emergency crews rescued the holy Granth. As members of Vancouver's Sikh community watched helplessly the emergency crews managed to salvage the holy book, revered to be a Guru (Master) by the Sikhs, from burnt-out remains of the Punjabi private religious school. A firefighter, emerging from the charred remains of the building, carried the Guru Granth Sahib wrapped in a white shroud. It was ha ....
2 Indo-Canadians charged with murder of Sri Lankan youth( 30-Jul-2009 ) Two Indo-Canadian young men have been charged with the murder of 19-year-old Tamil youth Annushath Indrakanthan on July 20. The group of youth armed with multiple weapons had attacked Annusanth outside Daisy Mart in a strip plaza on Bonis Ave., near Birchmount Rd.Sheppard Ave. E. He was taken to Sunnybrook hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Annusanth was a recent graduate of West Hill Collegiate Institute and was supposed to start classes at Ryerson University in September. On Tuesday, one of the accused 21 year old Vi ....
Kanishka bombing inquiry report ready, says Canadian panel( 29-Jul-2009 )Toronto, July 29: The Canadian public probe into the 1985 Air India bombing that claimed 329 lives is finally complete, the commission of inquiry has said. Headed by former Canadian chief justice John Major, the commission of inquiry said Tuesday it has completed the final report to be submitted to the government. All 329 people aboard Air India Kanishka flight 182 from Montreal to Delhi were killed in a mid-air bomb explosion off the Irish coast on June 23, 1985. A bomb meant for another Air India flight from Tokyo to Mumbai killed two people the same day at Tokyo's Narita airport during the transfer of the luggage which contained the bomb. Both the bombs had ....
Outrage over endangered Siberian Tiger flown in from Canada to Pakistan( 28-Jul-2009 ) A Siberian tiger flown in from Canada to the Pakistani city of Lahore, at the height of a sweltering summer has created an outrage with the fears that the blistering heat might prove too much for the animal used to live in temperatures that can go as low as -49 degrees Celsius. Questions are also being asked why the Canadian exporter agreed to deal in the endangered and protected animal with a private individual instead of a zoo. Incidentally the import of big cats is banned in Pakistan. The rare animal was brought in last week from ....
India Requests for Details on Kidney Scamster from Canada( 27-Jul-2009 ) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Indian agency investigating into international kidney transplant racket allegedly led by Dr Amit Kumar, has requested details of his property, bank accounts, investments and other assets, apart from the number of transplant surgeries conducted by him in Canada. A CBI team may also visit Canada for further probe. The Canadian authorities are already in touch with the Indian investigating agency. Dr Kumar was arrested from Nepal in February last year after he fled from India following regi ....
Nutrition Facts important for Canada's Asian and South Asian Boomers: Study( 24-Jul-2009 ) Toronto: When it comes to reading information on food packages, the majority of Canada’s Asian and South Asian Baby Boomers are all about the fats. According to a national survey by Leger Marketing, more than three quarters (77 per cent) of Asian and South Asian Boomers say they actively read the nutrition facts panel today as compared to five years ago. When asked to choose what nutrition information is most important to them, they mention fat most often (71 per cent) followed by calories (46 per cent), cholesterol (46 per cent), and sodium (40 per cent). But for a demographic so concerned about fats, few Asian and South Asian Boomers in Canada actuall ....
Kabaddi Player found involved in traficking drugs to Canada( 23-Jul-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Ludhiana: Another Kabaddi player from Punjab in India, found involved in trafficking drugs to Canada, has brought the issue of drug-peddling by Canadians and Americans of Punjabi descent to fore once again. Famous Kabaddi player from Doaba region of Punjab, Ranjodh Singh alias Jodha’s name figures in a case of smuggling of a synthetic drug, Methamphetamine seized from two of his accomplices on Wednesday night from Ludhiana. Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that is fast replacing heroine in many countries. It can be injected, snorted, smoked, and ingested orally resulting in increase ....
Indo-Canadian Man Missing from Surrey( 22-Jul-2009 ) Surrey: A 40 year old Indo-Canadian man, Yashpal Mehay is missing from last seven days. He was last seen by his family on June 14. Mehay left for Clinton in BC’s Cariboo region from his home at Whalley in a 2004 grey Mazda minivan with license plate number 494KVK. However he failed to arrive at his destination and there has been no word from him ever since, according to his family. He co-owns a gas station at the B.C. interior town where he travels every other week. Freeway patrol units were employed and a RCMP helicopter flew ....
Another Young Tamil Man Killed( 21-Jul-2009 ) Toronto: Tamil community from a wider group of South Asians in Canada, orginially from India or Sri Lanka, is concerned over rising violent incidents involving community youth, two of which have proved fatal. For the second time in a little over a week, a young man from Tamil community was beaten to death on Tuesday in northern Scarborough. He was identified by police as 19-year-old Annushath Indrakanthan. Earlier on July 11, Kristian Thanapalan was swarmed to death by a group of Tamil youths and men less than a th ....
Children's Fundraiser Run Crosses Ottawa( 20-Jul-2009 ) Ottawa: On its 18th day the fundraiser run, for collecting money for children, finished its first leg as East Team completed its section around Pickering, Ontario. Central Team took over from the East Team to continue until Brandon, Manitoba. The run had started from St. Johns, Newfoundland on July 1. The Children’s Run Across Canada planned by members of the Guru Gobind Singh Children’s Foundation (GGSCF) targets to be at Stanley Park in Vancouver, BC on August 30. GGSCF’s goal is to collect a minimum of $110 ....
'South-Asians Discriminated Against in Renting Out Accomodations'( 17-Jul-2009 )Toronto: There is a 23% rate of discriminations against South-Asians in Toronto in renting out accomodations, if a report by the Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation is to be believed. The rate of discrimination associated with the South Asian profile translates into about 10,000 individuals annually. The report is based on a study to measure discrimination in Toronto
25,000 Reward Offer for Missing Indo-Canadian Mom( 16-Jul-2009 ) Brampton: Mysterious disappearance of an Indo-Canadian mom from last five months has the police clueless and the family distraught. Now the husband of woman has offered a $25,000 reward for information into her vanishing act. The family is clinging to the hope that offer of a reward will put the spotlight back on her disappearance. The police is finding unable to find any clues, is groping in dark so far. 27 year old Poonam Litt, who has a two year old daughter, left home for work on February 5 only to disappear. She worked a ....
Voting Rights for NRIs under consideration( 15-Jul-2009 ) New Delhi: The law ministry is examining a bill proposing to accord voting rights to non-resident Indians (NRI), Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi told parliament Wednesday. The bill proposing voting rights to Indian citizens living abroad on account of employment, education or other purposes was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in February 2006, the minister told the Lok Sabha. The bill was referred to the parliamentary standing committee, which presented its report on it to the Rajya Sabha and laid it on the table of the Lok Sabha Aug 4, 2006. "The report is under examination of the ministry of law and justice, legislative department,&qu ....
Indo-Canadian Man Shot in Surrey( 15-Jul-2009 ) Surrey: An Indo-Canadian man was shot in an auto body shop on Monday night here. However, no details were forthcoming about the victim, the extent of his injuries, and the circumstances surrounding the shooting incident leading to several conflicting versions. While some reports suggested he has died, another suggested he has been taken to hospital after sustaining injuries in police shooting. Another media report said the shooting victim was a 25-year-old man named Mandeep Thind. RCMP reached A Canadian Auto Body & Painting Shop on 134th St. near 76th Ave. in Newton around 11:30 Monday night after gun shots were reported. They found the victim with ....
Play against Femicide aimed at Canadian Punjabis( 13-Jul-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Mansa, Punjab: Renowned theatre personality based in this small town of Indian Punjab, Ajmer Singh Aulakh, is going to address the issue of female foeticide in Canada through his chosen medium. The writer and director, Aulakh will be staging a play written by him, 'Neo Jarh', in different Canadian cities on the invitation of Punjabi Heritage Theatre Society. With its theme the play has already drawn attention in different cities and towns in India with more than 100 shows by Punjabi University’s Theatre and Tele ....
Pakistani family fears split as parents face Deportation( 12-Jul-2009 )Montreal: Federal court has refused to stay a deportation order of a Pakistani couple while giving one to their four children. Sabir Mohammed Sheikh, 52 and his wife Seema, 46 were taken away from their home here to a detention centre to await deportation. However the couple have managed for the time to secure removal to the United States under the "Safe Third Country" agreement. They have been in Canada for almost a decade. The rest of the family comprises of two Canadian grandchildren, one Canadian child and a daughter married to a Canadian The judgment that has left the family split, has triggered off a debate on immigration laws and their practice once again i ....
No Canadian citizenship without language skills, says minister( 11-Jul-2009 )By Gurmukh Singh Toronto: Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Friday that newcomers to the country should learn one of the two official languages - English and French - before they are given citizenship. Those who don't have proper language skills should not be granted citizenship, the minister said. The Canadian government funds language programmes for newcomers, but a few take advantage of them, Kenney said while announcing $9.5 million for such programmes in Calgary.
Canada's jobless rate jumps to 8.6 percent( 11-Jul-2009 )Toronto, July 11 (IANS) The unemployment rate in Canada, the most robust of all G8 economies during the current global crisis, has jumped to 8.6 percent, a national report here has said. Releasing the report here, Statistics Canada said 47,500 jobs were lost in June in this nation of about 33 million people. Nearly 1.6 million Canadians are now out of jobs as the nation's major sectors - manufacturing, natural resources and auto - continue to reel from the impact of the global recession. But the Canadian economy fared much better in the second quarter of this year than in the first quarter, the report said. Just 13,000 jobs were lost in the second quarter as co ....
Indian-Canadian victim of medical negligence gets $5 mn( 10-Jul-2009 )Vancouver: An Indian-Canadian man has been awarded $5 million (Rs.20 crore) by a court for medical negligence by a local hospital that left him incapacitated for life. Shawn Kahlon, 41, and his wife Michelle of Richmond on the outskirts of Vancouver were granted the record compensation for the careless way in which he was treated by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and UBC Hospital almost a decade ago. Kahlon, then a 32-year-old teacher, had reported lower-back pain in 1999. As the pain persisted, his doctor sent him to a radiologist to undergo a CT scan to ascertain its cause. When the first scan showed some abnormalities, the radiologist asked Kahlon to come aga ....
2 Indo-Canadian Young Men Killed in Street Car Racing( 08-Jul-2009 ) Toronto: Two Indo-Canadian young men were killed and a female companion injured in a car accident, apparently due to street racing, on a busy inner-city highway here Monday night. The dead have been identified as 21 year old Adam Bhagiratti and 20 year old Geetesh Ramdoolar Singh, both from Scarborough area of Toronto. The 21-year-old woman, who was with them and survived the crash, has not yet been identified. Adam was driving the ill-fated Nissan sports car when it spun out of control while racing with an unknown ....
Contract killing of a Man in India 'ordered' by Indo-Canadians( 07-Jul-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Moga, Punjab: The police investigations into the murder of a 25 year old resident of Khosa village near here, has pointed towards the involvement of two Indo-Canadians. It was a contract killing carried out at the behest of two Canada based men of Indian descent, according to the district police. On June 27, the mutilated body of 25 year old Gurpreet Singh was found at Charikk village near Baghapurana. His nose had been chopped off and he had been stabbed on the neck. Investigations revealed that the killing was c ....
Anything to Leave India!( 05-Jul-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Ludhiana: That the Indians, more so, Punjabis, employ every trick in the trade to get away from here is no secret. But the scale of ingenuity and the sheer effort employed is still mindboggling. The fraudulent means include forged death certificates, doctors' notes, bank statements, transcripts from non-existent colleges and even marriage palaces arranging fake marriages to provide photographs of marriage. In the latest instance two young girls and a boy have been arrested in Ludhiana and two girls and two boy ....
Indo-Canadian Border Guard accused of aiding Traffickers( 04-Jul-2009 ) Vancouver: An Indo-Canadian employee of the Canada Border Services Agency has been accused of misusing his position to help international drug traffickers smuggle cocaine into B.C. The US government is preparing an extradition request for the fugitive employee to the Canadian government. Grewal is the second Indo-Canadian after Baljinder Kandola, also a CBSA border guard, to be charged in a similar smuggling case. Kandola faces counts of breach of trust and conspiracy to import cocaine and firearms after he was arrested in October 2007 along with others in B.C. and Washington. Meanwhile Grewal has been accused of allowing at least 12 large shipments of cocain ....
Candle-light Vigil for Indo-Canadian Teen killed in Car Crash( 02-Jul-2009 ) Surrey: Friends and family gathered at an elementary school here on Tuesday night to a candle light vigil to remember an Indo-Canadian teen killed in a car accident Monday. 15 year old Sanjeeve Sharma was a backseat passenger in a Chevrolet Malibu which clipped another car before crashing into a lamp post at 82nd Avenue and 128th Street. The driver, a minor, and other passenger were taken to hospital with minor injuries, but Sharma died after being taken to the hospital. Alcohol and speed were possible factors in the crash, the Su ....
Oz-Indian found guilty of killing daughter, now accused of threatening legal team( 02-Jul-2009 )Sydney, July 2 (ANI): A man found guilty of killing his baby daughter after treating her severe excema with homeopathic remedies has been arrested for threatening his legal team. Thomas Sam and his wife Manju are due to face a sentencing submissions hearing in the New South Wales Supreme Court today. The court heard he had been arrested following a threat made to his legal counsel. Sam applied for bail but was refused by Magistrate Kevin Flack and he was remanded in custody until July 9. Corrective Services were asked to transport Sam to the Supreme Court so the sentencing submissions could begin, The Australian reported. Thomas Sam, 42, and his wife Manju Sam, 37, were c ....
One Pleads Guilty in Drugs Case involving Indo-Canadians( 01-Jul-2009 ) Bakersfield: A Canadian of Vietnamese origin has entered guilty plea in federal court in a drug related case involving three others - two Indo-Canadians and a man of Thai origin. The four men gang was busted in an undercover drug sting in Bakersfield in September last. Authorities say the men were involved in a drug trafficking organization that was buying cocaine in the US and trafficking it to Canada for distribution. While Hoang Nguyen, a Vietnamese but currently a resident of El Monte Canada has entered the plea the other three men were found guilty in three week trial. These are Sokha Bhopal, 50, now resident of Valencia, Canada and Arrlington, Texas in ....
Sikh Militants Abroad Trying to Revive Terror in Punjab?( 30-Jun-2009 ) By JATINDER PREET Ludhiana (Punjab): With arrest of three persons, the Police in Punjab province of India have once again sought to put the blame of trying to revive terrorism in state on Sikh suspects, now residing in foreign countries. Punjab faced the brunt of the terrorism spawned by the movement for Khalistan in early 80s going on to the early 90s, when the violent struggle was finally contained. Many of the perpetrators and their accomplices managed to escape abroad then. A section of the Sikh Diaspora in differe ....
Villagers Shocked at Benefactors' Conviction for Drug Charges in US( 28-Jun-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Ludhiana Conviction of an all Punjabi gang of drug smugglers by a US court has the residents of their native villages in Punjab, who received large amounts of financial help from them, at loss of words. The gang included two residents of Bakersfield Harjeet Mann,50, and Sukhraj Dhaliwal,39, and Gurmeet Bisla, 29, from Livingston in California in US. All three face minimum ten years in jail or maximum life sentence besides fines. Mann and Dhaliwal, both friends before they migrated, hailed from ....
Six year old Girl of Indian Parents may be youngest H1N1 Canadian victim( 27-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Brampton, Ont A six year old Indo-Canadian girl who died after being tested positive for the H1N1 flu virus may be the youngest victim of the deadly infection. Doctors at the Georgetown Hospital near Toronto, howver, confirmed she tested positive for H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu. But the medical authorities fought shy of the declaring the exact cause of death. Dr. Arlene King, Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health said in a news release, "the H1N1 flu virus appears to have been a fac ....
All Punjabi Gang Convicted for Cocaine Smuggling in US( 26-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Fresno, Calif.(US) With the conviction of three Indian immigrants originally from Punjab, has come a rude reminder of the increasing involvement of Punjabi youth in drug-smuggling in American continent. The gang also smuggled in ephedrine, a precursor chemical used to manufacture methamphetamine, into the United States from India. These included two residents of Bakersfield Harjeet Mann,50, and Sukhraj Dhaliwal,39, and Gurmeet Bisla, 29, from Livingston in California in US. The alleged kingpin Mann w ....
Canada may open visa office in Mumbai( 25-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Toronto Canada is actively considering to open a visa office in Mumbai to cater to the needs of the Indian community. The visa office in Mumbai is likely to be functional before the end of this year. The opening of the office in Mumbai is likely to boost Canada’s trade ties with India. Indo-Canadian community led by Hemant Shah, Chairman, India Chapter of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce has been demanding for more than two decades that a visa office in Mumbai should be opened to boost business ties between the two countries. Many countries, including the US and Britain already have their visa offices in Mumbai.
Canada, Indian Community Remember Air-India Bombing Victims( 24-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Toronto The risk from terrorism came in for renewed discussion once again as Canada remembered the bombing of Boeing 747, widely believed to have been carried out by Sikh separatists. On June 23, 1985, all its crew and 329 passengers aboard the Air India Kanishka plane were killed, most of them Indians, when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland. Memorial services were held in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal as messages poured in from different quarters. Remembering the victims the ....
Indo-Canadian Man Charged with Double Murder( 23-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Surrey, BC The elderly Indo-Canadian man arrested from the house that saw killing of two teenagers and life-threatening injury to their mother at Newton here, has finally been charged for the crime. Police had received an emergency call on Sunday morning informing of the shootout on 126th Street at Sunridge Estates townhouse of Newton in Surrey. When they reached the home they found the bodies of the two teenagers and critically wounded woman, identified as Sukhwinder Kaur. The arres ....
Two Dead, One Injured in a shootout at Indo-Canadian Family's Home( 22-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Surrey, BC A shockwave went through the Indo-Canadian community here on Sunday morning as reports came in of what appeared to be a triple shooting. Two people were reported dead and a woman in hospital with life-threatening injuries after a shooting. The unit in the townhouse complex at 6366 126th St. is owned by Mahendra Singh, a truck driver. Although the police didn’t reveal the identity of the victims, the neighbours confirmed that a woman named Sukhwinder along with her two teenaged sons lived there ....
Amendment in Old Age Security Act to help Indian Senior Citizens( 21-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Toronto Putting the nanny controversy behind her, the Brampton MP, Ruby Dhalla has got back to work with introduction of a bill to amend the old age security act. It seeks to equalize residency requirements for all senior immigrants, no matter what their country of origin is. The bill introduced in the Canadian parliament by young Sikh MP, aims to end discrimination against the Indian and other non-white immigrants in old-age pension. Dhalla called the practice unfair and unjust as it has forced immigrant senio ....
Sikh preacher faces protest in Gurdwara( 19-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer British Columbia The controversial Sikh preacher Maan Singh Pehowa, visiting Canada from India was faced with a vehement protest in BC. About 500 placard waving protestors chanting slogans against him, stopped Pehowa from speaking at the Kalgidhar Khalsa Darbar Temple on Blueridge Drive. There have been allegations against the religious preacher for immoral, unethical, inhuman and characterless behavior. Pehowa, who has his headquarters in the Haryana province of India, arrived at the temple as part of a ....
South Asian Festival in the spotlight this weekend( 18-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai The fourth annual Telus Mosaic 2009 South Asian festival takes centre stage this weekend at Mississauga's City Centre at the Square One complex. The festival, which should attract 50,000 people, runs June 19-21. Admission is free. "This year, the line-up is the best of any free festival happening in the GTA," said festival director Asma Arshad Mahmood. Top-notch performers include RDB, Nindy Kaur and Swami. There will also be performances by the Kathak dance duo Vidha and Abhimanyu Lal, Cassius Kh ....
Parliamentary committee clears Dhalla’s name( 17-Jun-2009 ) South Asian Observer Toronto MP Ruby Dhalla is off the hook. For now at least. The Canadian Parliamentary Committee has cleared the Indo-Canadian MP of charges of exploiting two Filipino nannies at her home but has asked "authorized bodies" to probe the allegations. Dhalla, who represents the Brampton-Springdale riding, faced a political storm last month when two former caregivers - Magdalene Gordo and Richelyn Tongson - who were hired by Dhalla in early 2008 to take care of her mother, publicly alleg ....
Popular Hindu Pundit dies( 16-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Well-known Hindu pundit Shri Prakash Gossai passed away early Monday morning after heart failure in a Miami hospital. He had been on tour promoting his message of love and peace when he fell sick. Gossai, who was born on April 23, 1953 in Handsome Tree, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, was 56 years old. Born into a devout Hindu family, Gossai always felt a religious calling to teach the Sanatan Dharma. His parents Pundit Bissondial and Shrimati Rewti Gossai raised him with a strong sense of the faith he so ....
TV-Desi offers new choices for South Asians( 15-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Imagine watching South Asian channels anytime you want and anywhere you are. Well, with TV-Desi, subscribers can do just that. Using advanced IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) technology, TV-Desi brings you more than 45 South Asian channels through the internet to your television or computer. And you don't even need a PC, the company says. Just connect the TV-Desi set-top-box to your television and then plug it in to your broadband access. And then, with a simple click of a remote control, you will have the channe ....
Indo-Canadian kills Wife, Self back Home in India( 14-Jun-2009 ) By Jatinder Preet Ludhiana: A 65-year-old Indo-Canadian Sardool Singh Gill shot dead his wife Paramjit Kaur and later killed himself at his native village Jaspal Bangar near here in Punjab province of India. Sardool Singh, lived in Vancouver along with his wife and two sons and a daughter, for the past ten years. The couple had come to India on May 13 only. One of their daughters is married in Barnala and she has been staying with her parents at the village along with her 17-year-old son Kamal. The cause of provocation was no ....
Demand for apology on Komagata raised again( 12-Jun-2009 ) Toronto: The demand for apology to Indians on the 1914 Komagata Maru episode has been raised once again but this time by a Canadian parliamentarian. Raising the issue in the House of Commons Don Davies urged the prime minister to apologise to the Indian Canadian community for the Komagata Maru episode that saw a ship carrying Indians being turned away and 20 passengers being killed on reaching Indian shores. Don Davies, who represents a Vancouver constituency in parliament has demanded that the PM apologise for "the most sha ....
Indo-Canadian stabbed, dies in hospital( 11-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai A 45-year-old Indo-Canadian was killed Wednesday as he went to do repairs for tenants living in his basement, according to Peel Regional Police. Mustaeen Siddiqi, a married father of three children, was found suffering from apparent stab wounds in his Warwickshire Way home, in the area of Mavis Rd. and Eglinton Ave. in Mississauga. Siddiqi later died in hospital. The stabbing is Peel’s eleventh homicide of the year. "The victim did absolutely nothing wrong," said Peel Cst. J.P. Valade. "This is an absolutely horrific tragedy. The victim was a good man and upstanding citizen." Another Indo-Canadian Salik B ....
Sketch released of South Asian man wanted in sex assault( 10-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Peel Regional Police have released a composite sketch they hope will help them nab a man who sexually assaulted a woman last month near Mississauga’s City Centre. The woman was assaulted on May 21 at about 5:20 p.m. Police say the victim parked her car in the underground parking lot at 101 Bristol Road East. After exiting her car, the victim proceeded to the stairwell located on the south side of the building. Police say as she climbed the stairs, she was approached from behind by a man, w ....
South Asian man granted bail in Indo-Canadian murder trial( 09-Jun-2009 )By Amit Gossai Sujenthan Ramanathan is out on bail. The 20-year-old Oakville man was granted bail on Monday, more than two years after his arrest in connection with the murder of Indo-Canadian Amrinder Singh Atwal during a Brampton street fight. Justice David Corbett released Ramanathan pending a new trial under a $500,000 (no deposit) surety. Earlier, Corbett declared a mistrial on May 24 just as jurors were about to begin their deliberations. Ramanathan was accused of murdering Atwal, 19, on May 12, 2007 during a street brawl between two gr ....
Racially-tinged attack on Six Indo-Canadian Men( 09-Jun-2009 ) Abbotsford: An evening game of tennis for six Indo-Canadian men, all in their 20s, turned ugly after an unprovoked, racially tinged attack here in Aldergrove, a suburb southeast of Vancouver. The perpetrators, all Cauca`sian teens were arrested, thanks to residents who phoned police while the attack was in progress. Confirming the racial angle to the attack Insp. Amrik Virk of Langley RCMP said “There is a nuance of hate”. The six men were playing tennis at Jackman Park on 32nd Avenue near 272nd Street in Aldergrove just after 7:30 p.m. Friday, when three young men and a woman approached them, shouting racial slurs and telling them to go back to ....
Family and friends mourn death of Indo-Canadian cabbie( 08-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai A day after he was struck and killed by an alleged teen drunk driver, family and friends gathered at Balwinder Gill’s Brampton home to mourn the loss of a hard-working, loving father of two. “I wish I could do something,” said Balwinder’s 24-year-old son Gaganpreet Gill. “I don’t know what to do.” Balwinder, who just celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary, would have been home earlier that Friday morning but he decided to stay out on the road an extra hour so that he could pick up his eldest son from work. “He was waiting for me,” said Gaganpreet. “I was a way for a couple of d ....
Gov't partnership stimulates Peel's economy( 07-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Peel Region has received $140 million under a federal-provincial initiative intended to create jobs and boost Peel’s economy. The announcement was made this weekend in Brampton by officials of the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario. “Peel is very pleased that the Government of Canada and Province of Ontario have listened to us on our economic recovery priorities during budget discussions in early 2009 and have now come to the table to join us in stimulating employment and supporting criti ....
Indian doctoral students awarded Canadian scholarships( 05-Jun-2009 )Observer News Service Toronto: Two Indian doctoral students are among 37 international researchers who have been awarded Canadian scholarships. The two Indian recipients for the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship for 2009 are Niladri Chattopadhyay, who will pursue cancer research at the University of Toronto, and Atam Kapoor, who will work in the field of chemical engineering at the University of Alberta, an official statement said on Thursday. The awards will entitle them to $50,000 each per year for up to three years. Once at full capacity, the programme will support up to 500 new students annually. The scholarships were announced by the Canadian government in budget 20 ....
Minorities just not climbing the ladder( 04-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai A new report has found that only 13 per cent of today’s top leaders are of visible minority across the GTA. “These results are a wake-up call,” said Ratna Omidvar, President Maytree and Co-Chair of the DiverseCity Project that commissioned the research. “We’ve got work to do to give the GTA the edge it needs to compete on the world stage.” DiverseCity Counts: A Snapshot of Diversity in the Greater Toronto Area looked at 3,257 leaders in the GTA across the corporate, public, not-for- ....
Tamils Protest on Parliament Hill( 03-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Thousands of Tamil protesters gathered on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, calling for intervention in Sri Lankan refugee camps. The crowd, mostly from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, are also calling for the Sri Lankan government to be charged with war crimes, a Tamil right to self-determination, for the United Nations to take full responsibility for the safety of the Tamils in the camps and for media and NGO access to Sri Lanka. Protesters held signs and carried flags, mostly Canadian however there were several of the controvers ....
Indo-Canadian walks for awareness( 02-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Jagjeet Singh left Thunder Bay on May 3 with one thought on his mind. To promote health and fitness. And after 1,500 kilometers and 29 days, Singh, 46, was cheered on by more than 100 people who welcomed him back home on Sunday at Brampton City Hall. “It was tremendous when I entered Brampton, it was such a wonderful feeling,” said Singh, a self-employed financial advisor. “(Brampton City Councillor) Vicky Dhillon really made my welcome heartfelt. “I felt like a hero at least for a day.” Singh said ....
World’s largest plane lands at Pearson( 01-Jun-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Monday afternoon, the world’s largest jet, the Airbus A380, made its first ever landing at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. The luxurious double-decker Air Emirates Craft completed its first regular Emirates Airline trip from Dubai to Toronto yesterday touching down at 3:45 p.m. "I've waited years for this plane to arrive," said Brian Thomas, a member of Pearson's Airport Watch club. "It's an amazing plane." The lavish plane is capable of carryi ....
DesiFEST draws thousands despite rain( 31-May-2009 ) By Amit Gossai The rain didn't stop thousands of visitors Saturday at Yonge and Dundas Square for the third annual RBC desiFEST. More than 10,000 people visited to popular Toronto intersection for the 12-hour show, Canada’s largest national south Asian music festival. “To get 8-9 thousand people coming out of all backgrounds, really says a lot about Toronto,” said desiFEST founder Satish Bala. The festival went National this year visiting three cities, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. “It’s a cele ....
Tamils hit the streets yet again( 29-May-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Just days after hundreds of Sri Lankans protested outside the Canadian High Commission in Colombo, accusing Ottawa of supporting Tamil Tiger rebels, Toronto was faced with yet another protest downtown. Today, several Tamils began protesting this morning at the Sri Lankan Consulate at Yonge and St. Clair, and as the day went by protestors marched to the U.S. counterpart on University Ave. and Dundas. The demonstrators are desperate for U.S. and Canadian authorities to push for monitors for the country, alleging the ....
Indo-Canadians named top immigrant( 28-May-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Eleven Indo-Canadians including a former premier, a noted filmmaker and a RCMP sergeant were selected for 'Canadian Immigration Awards 2009' for their outstanding contribution to country's culture and economy. Of the eleven, five were from the GTA. Dr. Birinder Singh Ahluwalia, Naseer Ahmad, Dr. Colin Saldanha, Terry Sawh, and Anupama Vittal were among the 25 Canadians who were honoured Thursday night at a ceremony hosted by 'Citizenship and Immigration Canada' in Mississauga. ....
Brampton Sri Lankan restaurant deliberately set on fire( 27-May-2009 ) By Amit Gossai After further investigation, Brampton fire investigators have confirmed that an early-morning fire at a small Sri Lankan restaurant was deliberately set. Earlier Peel police and Brampton fire investigators were refusing to jump to conclusions, saying only that the fire at Lanka Gardens was “suspicious.” After the fire, members of the Sri Lankan community now believe that “terrorism” has reached Brampton. Members of the Sri Lankan community including Sri Lanka’s consul-general to Canada Bandula Jaya ....
Mississauga, new home to Sheridan College( 25-May-2009 ) By Amit Gossai Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion finally got her wish. A college in the City. Today at Sheridan College’s Davis Campus in Brampton, Bob Dechert, MP for Mississauga-Erindale; Amrit Mangat, MPP for Mississauga-Brampton South and Harinder Takhar MPP for Mississauga-Erindale, announced a $31.2 million investment for the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning’s new Mississauga campus and $70 million for a new Instructional and Laboratory Complex at the University of Toronto Mississa ....
Carassauga concludes today- Record crowds at India Pavilion( 24-May-2009 )By Amit Gossai Today is the final day for the 24th annual Carassauga festival. Since Friday, record crowds have been passing through the Hershey Centre to experience the authentic culture of India. Manmohan Singh, president of the National Association of Indo-Canadians (NAIC), said that for the past three years, the India pavilion has drawn in crowds of more than 20,000 people over the course of the three days, and he expects the same this year. “We always have tremendous support from the community,” he said. “It's ....
India will have stable economy, say Indo-Canadians( 23-May-2009 ) By Amit Gossai India’s new ministry was sworn in on Friday after the United Progressive Alliance coalition staked its claim to form a new Indian government that is believed to lead the country to new hopes. India President Pratibha Patil administered the oath of office and secrecy to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh along with 19 Cabinet ministers. Singh, a 76-year-old soft-spoken economist, is the first Prime Minister since post-independence after Jawaharlal Nehru to be returned to office after completing a full ter ....
Family of slain Indo-Canadian appeals for help( 22-May-2009 ) By Amit Gossai A tearful Harjinder Sandhu, the wife of murder victim Harjinder Singh Sandhu, is appealing to the public to help bring those responsible to justice. "He was a good husband,” said an emotional Harjinder Friday morning at a press conference held at the Durham Regional Police Headquarters in Whitby. “He was everything to me.” Sandhu, 28, originally from Brampton and his friend Puneet Singh Chhina, 26, of Nepean were found in the trunk of a 2009 Nissan Altima located in the area of Rose ....
Toronto: Canada's Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University here plans to offer its world class courses to Indian students and forge tie-ups with Indian universitie ....
Palakkad: At about 8.30 a.m., Shashi Tharoor tied the auspicious 'thali' around long-time friend Sunanda Pushkar's neck, exchanged jasmine garlands with her and presented her with a 'podava' or new se...
London: British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson says the England cricket team will be discouraged from playing Zimbabawe until its board severs ties with the Robert Mugabe regime.
Robertson said that ....
