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<strong>The</strong> International News Weekly REGIONAL<br />
December 01, 2017 | Toronto 02<br />
Gurpreet's motion<br />
to cut senior bus<br />
pass rates denied<br />
BRAMPTON: Councillor Gurpreet Dhillon has expressed<br />
his disappointment in Council’s decision to deny his motion<br />
to be considered in the City of Brampton’s 2018 budget.<br />
<strong>The</strong> motion would have reduced the seniors’ monthly bus<br />
pass rate from $52.00 to $15.00 with no immediate cost or<br />
negative budget impact.<br />
“This proposal was cost neutral and also satisfied an<br />
increasing need,” said Councillor Dhillon. “With auto<br />
insurance, gas prices, taxes, and the cost of living all skyrocketing,<br />
this motion would have helped a vulnerable and<br />
growing sector of society,” said Councillor Dhillon. <strong>The</strong><br />
motion outlined that the approximate $75,000 annual shortfall<br />
for the new rate would have been funded for a period of<br />
four years by transferring the 2017 Façade Program’s remaining<br />
budget of $300,000, and any costs thereafter to be<br />
absorbed by future transit revenue growth.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Façade Program, which Councillor Dhillon has<br />
continuously opposed due to it favouring downtown businesses<br />
only, funds the cosmetic changes to businesses in<br />
the downtown core by providing grants to land and business<br />
owners.<br />
“I don’t understand why Council did not see the immediate<br />
need for investing in reducing seniors’ transit costs,<br />
while they continue to waste millions on initiatives like<br />
the Façade Program, raising their own salaries and pensions,<br />
and giving $1.5 million to a private hockey team,”<br />
said Councillor Dhillon. “Our seniors deserve better.<br />
“With more and more of our seniors being forced to work,<br />
or solely depending on Old Age Security and pensions, getting<br />
by is becoming a challenge for them. This proposal<br />
would have helped their pocket books, as well as allowing<br />
them to become more active and socially engaged in the<br />
community.”<br />
Patrick Brown promises<br />
12% cut in hydro bills<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Canadian</strong> <strong>Parvasi</strong><br />
MISSISSAUGA: Ontario PC leader Patrick Brown has<br />
promised to lower the average hydro bill by an additional<br />
12 percent if his party forms the next government. Speaking<br />
in Burlington yesterday, Brown said this will save $173 per<br />
household annually.<br />
Laying it out as part of his Ontario PC plan, Brown<br />
said under Kathleen Wynne hydro rates have tripled.<br />
As a result, families now pay $1,000 more than when the<br />
Liberals took office. He said the Liberals have accepted<br />
$1.3 million in donations from companies who received<br />
thousands of energy contracts. <strong>The</strong>se "sweetheart deals''<br />
have resulted in families overpaying by $9.2 billion for<br />
hydro.<br />
Kathleen Wynne also sold off the publicly-owned<br />
Hydro One in a fire sale to reward her donors and<br />
friends.<br />
Sahara Senior Services<br />
celebrated Diwali<br />
Sahara Senior Services<br />
Club celebrated Diwali<br />
on Friday November10th,<br />
2017. It was beautifully<br />
organized by the club organizers<br />
in Royal Banquet<br />
Hall and was celebrated<br />
with great hustle and<br />
bustle.MP Gagan Sikand,<br />
Honor. MPP Dipika Damerla,<br />
MPP Amrit Mangat,<br />
Nina Tangri, Bernard<br />
Jordan and many more<br />
leaders were present at<br />
this celebration. Ashok<br />
Bharti and Sushma Aggarwal<br />
introduced each other<br />
and Ashok Bharti introduced<br />
Urmil Sandhawalia.<br />
Club’s Vice President Urmil<br />
Sandhawalia honored<br />
and thanked all the guests<br />
and praised President<br />
Narinder Singh Dhuga’s<br />
hard work and efforts in<br />
establishing Sahara Senior<br />
Services Club. She<br />
also praised Manjit Dhuga<br />
for working very hard and<br />
for organizing our events.<br />
President Narinder<br />
Dhuga honored and<br />
thanked all the guests. He<br />
thanked Diwali Committee<br />
for working so hard so<br />
that we all could enjoy a<br />
well-planned Diwali event.<br />
He also gave introduction<br />
on Diwali Festival and<br />
proudly stated that Sahara<br />
Senior Services represents<br />
more female members<br />
than male members.<br />
Sumesh Nanda took group<br />
pictures for all of them.<br />
Diwali Dyas were lit up<br />
by MP Gagan Sikand, Honor.<br />
MPP Dipika Damerla,<br />
MPP Amrit Mangat, Nina<br />
Tangri, Bernard Jordan<br />
and by Club’s Board of Directors.<br />
Sumesh Nanda<br />
took pictures of all beautiful<br />
moments.<br />
MP Gagan Sikand, MPP<br />
Dipika Damerla, MPP Amrit<br />
Mangat, Nina Tangri<br />
and Bernard Jordan spoke<br />
highly about Sahara Senior<br />
Services Club and appreciated<br />
its uniqueness<br />
as it holds large number of<br />
women as club members.<br />
<strong>The</strong>y all praised Narinder<br />
Dhuga’s hard work and efforts<br />
in collaboration with<br />
members in starting Sahara<br />
Senior Services Club<br />
and growing it day by day.<br />
Jagmeet says Indigenous languages ignored in Canada<br />
Continued from page 01<br />
some who had hoped an<br />
Indigenous candidate would<br />
be chosen. But after his idea<br />
generated friction within his own<br />
caucus, Singh issued a statement<br />
to clarify he "strongly" believes<br />
that Supreme Court justices<br />
be bilingual with a functional<br />
understanding of both French<br />
and English, adding it is the only<br />
way to ensure <strong>Canadian</strong>s access<br />
justice in an official language.<br />
Indigenous rights must also<br />
be recognized and defended,<br />
Singh said, noting Indigenous<br />
languages have historically<br />
been "grossly overlooked" in<br />
<strong>Canadian</strong> institutions. "I am<br />
open to hearing suggestions of<br />
how to remain fully committed<br />
to bilingual judges while<br />
supporting the advancement<br />
of judges from Indigenous<br />
communities," he said. "It's my<br />
sincere hope that we will see, in<br />
near future, a Supreme Court<br />
Justice from a First Nation,<br />
Metis or Inuit background."<br />
Earlier on Wednesday,<br />
Singh said there needs to<br />
be an understanding of the<br />
unique situation Indigenous<br />
communities have faced and<br />
a recognition of Indigenous<br />
languages. "I would say in general<br />
our position as a party is that we<br />
support bilingualism," Singh<br />
said. "It's important as a nation<br />
that has two official languages<br />
that we support bilingualism<br />
with respect to judges but there is<br />
a specific case to be made for the<br />
Indigenous community."<br />
<strong>The</strong> remarks touched off<br />
pushback from NDP MPs.<br />
"That is not a position of<br />
the NDP," Quebec lieutenant<br />
Alexandre Boulerice said. "He<br />
knows it ... but we are ready<br />
to work with anybody from<br />
the Aboriginal community to<br />
... see how we can integrate<br />
more efficiently Aboriginal<br />
languages." NDP justice critic<br />
Murray Rankin said Singh's<br />
original comments were not<br />
in keeping with the NDP's<br />
position stipulating judges must<br />
be bilingual to sit on Canada's<br />
top court. <strong>The</strong> party's official<br />
languages critic had put forward a<br />
private members' bill to enshrine<br />
the bilingual requirement into<br />
law but it was defeated."We are<br />
trying essentially deal with two<br />
streams of rights," Rankin said.<br />
"<strong>The</strong> need to be more<br />
representative, particularly for<br />
the Indigenous ... legal traditions<br />
on the court and at the same<br />
time, an ironclad commitment<br />
to bilingualism which the NDP<br />
has long had as its policy."<br />
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-<br />
Raybould, who is Aboriginal,<br />
said Wednesday she suspects<br />
many current Indigenous judges<br />
will apply for positions on the top<br />
court in the future.<br />
All the leaders gave their<br />
blessings for club’s growth<br />
and success. Congratulations<br />
certificates were<br />
received from MP Gagan<br />
Sikand, MPP Dipika Damerla,<br />
Ontario PC Leader<br />
Patrick Brown and Premier<br />
of Ontario Kathleen<br />
Wynne.<br />
Maninder Kalra, Roop<br />
Kahlon, Surinder Dhami<br />
and Jyotsna Davda presented<br />
Arti Song from a<br />
Film. It was recited very<br />
well.<br />
Sukhpal Chodda and<br />
Kuldip Gosal performed<br />
solo dance with their favorite<br />
songs.<br />
Mohini Bharti sang<br />
her favorite song. Rekha<br />
Uppal and Suman Sodhi<br />
danced with a beautiful<br />
song from a Mughal-E-<br />
Azam movie. It was enjoyed<br />
by everyone.<br />
“Hips Don’t Lie” Bollywood<br />
Dance was presented<br />
by three girls who were<br />
enjoyed and appreciated<br />
by everyone.<br />
Punjabi Gidha with<br />
Bolian was presented<br />
by Sukhpal Chodda,<br />
Maninder Kalra, Rekha<br />
Uppal, Surinder Dhami,<br />
Roop Kahlon and Jyotsna<br />
Davda.<br />
Sukhraj Nijjar sang<br />
Hindi and Punjabi songs<br />
with his band which were<br />
enjoyed and appreciated<br />
by everyone. Dance floor<br />
was full.<br />
<strong>The</strong> door prizes were<br />
drawn which were enjoyed<br />
by all the winners.<br />
Dance floor was filled<br />
with dance lovers as DJ<br />
was played and everyone<br />
had a chance to dance and<br />
to enjoy the rest of the evening.<br />
Sumesh Nanda captured<br />
every beautiful moment<br />
with his photography.<br />
Everyone enjoyed tasty<br />
snacks and dinner.<br />
(For any information about<br />
Sahara Senior Services,<br />
visit our website at<br />
www.saharaseniorservices.com<br />
or email tosaharass2015@<br />
gmail.com<br />
or Call Narinder Dhuga at<br />
416-985-5336)<br />
Sikh extremists abroad<br />
behind Punjab killings: NIA<br />
Continued from page 01<br />
NIA officials said the arrested shooters have<br />
admitted their involvement in the killing of Gosain<br />
as well as in seven other incidents of murder or attempted<br />
to murder in Punjab that have taken place<br />
since January 2016. <strong>The</strong> killing of the RSS leader<br />
was the latest in a series of murderous attacks on<br />
right-wing and religious leaders in Punjab. "Targets<br />
in these incidents generally were members of<br />
the RSS and Hindu organisations." In July 2017, the<br />
shooters also murdered a Christian pastor named<br />
Sultan Masih in Ludhiana, the officials said. <strong>The</strong>y<br />
said a conspiracy to "destabilize Punjab has been<br />
hatched by Sikh extremist elements and others<br />
located in various parts of the world including the<br />
United Kingdom, France, Italy, United Arab Emirates<br />
and Pakistan". "<strong>The</strong> investigation conducted so<br />
far has revealed channelling of funds from foreign<br />
countries for execution of these incidents.