www.theasianstar.com VOL 23 - ISSUE 7
Why India Just Inked a New Free Trade Deal This week, India announced a new free trade deal with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland—countries not in the European Union. In a statement released Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the deal as a “landmark pact.” It was finalized after more than 15 years of negotiations and will remove import tariffs on industrial goods from EFTA states. The agreement entails $100 billion worth of investments across a range of sectors in India, including manufacturing.
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Lower Mainland gas prices could reach $2.30 by late spring
A small jump in gas prices was seen Thursday morning — an increase of about two cents overnight. It adds to the increases seen over the past week, where prices began at $1.88 a litre. Thursday morning, most prices around the Lower Mainland are hovering around $1.95. “What’s driven prices up from $1.88 last week to $1.96, which we’re going to pay tomorrow, I’d say about two-thirds of that is apparent shortness, or a crunch, in the supply, (which is) not made any better by (Burnaby Refinery’s) ongoing disruption,” gas expert Dan McTeague said. But, according to McTeague, that is a small increase compared with what’s to come in late spring and early summer.
International student numbers to be slashed in B.C. British Columbia’s private colleges and universities will see their share of new international students slashed this year, while public postsecondary institutions will be shielded from reductions created by the federal cap on student visas. Premier Eby said Thursday that there is no need for a financial bailout for postsecondary schools in B.C. as in Ontario, which offered its institutions a $1.3-billion stability fund earlier this week to help absorb the loss of income from fewer foreign students. The two provinces have the largest share of study permits in Canada and are set to bear the brunt of Ottawa’s changes. “What I can reassure British Columbians is, we are not Ontario. We have taken a different approach here around funding public postsecondary,” Mr. Eby said during a news conference. More than 900,000 foreign students had visas to study in Canada last year, which is more than three times the number a decade ago. Immigration Minister Marc Miller imposed an immediate cap on the number of international study visas that it issues across the country, citing pressure on housing and social services from the growing number of foreign students.
“As we look at summertime demand, that tends to be a premium of 15 cents a litre.… The new normal this summer, or at least late spring, could begin at a $2.20 or $2.30 a litre range and for that reason, I think motorists need to be best prepared for this very unpleasant reality,” McTeague said. Gas prices will also increase again next month due to the carbon tax. “Hold on folks, on April 1 it’s going to get even worse (because) B.C. Premier David Eby is hiking the first provincial carbon tax which will bring that total tax burden from 78 cents per litre, where we are sitting at right now, to 81 cents,” Carson Binda said, the B.C. director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Surrey hospital to get critical care tower with acute, specialized services The B.C. government says Surrey Memorial Hospital will get a new criticalcare tower to allow more surgeries and add capacity for pediatric, perinatal, women’s health, mental health and stroke care. A doctor at the hospital who had raised concerns about patients being at risk hopes the building will close the gap in life-saving services in Surrey. Dr. Claudine StornessBliss, one of the 36 doctors at Surrey Memorial who in an open letter last year raised the alarm about lack of staff, said the announcement leaves her guardedly optimistic. “I worry that this is electioneering with a nearing election as opposed to (the government) truly going ahead with this plan,” said Storness-Bliss, who is the B.C. United candidate for Surrey—Cloverdale. However, as the co-head of Surrey Memorial’s obstetrics and gynecology department, Storness-Bliss said the proposed new tower is “a testament to the importance of physician advocacy and the goals that we can accomplish when health-care providers and the health authority and the government work together.”
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