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VOL 26 - ISSUE 8
International student from India on expired permit allowed to stay despite attempted auto theft An international student who was kicked out of college but remained in Canada on an expired student permit has been allowed to stay in the country after it was determined that, although he had participated in a crime, it was not an organized crime and he was merely “a dupe.” The case, which was heard earlier this year, involved a man who came to Canada from India on a study permit in 2022 when he was 21 years old. “He was enrolled in a college but after two semesters ended up homeless, jobless and, by his own admission, addicted to weed,” case Continued on Page 4... documents said.
Carney’s Liberals get federal majority Prime Minister Mark Carney’s party secured a majority in parliament on Monday after two byelection wins, boosting his Liberals as they work to bolster a country shaken by threats from the United States. Carney’s Liberals won the most seats in elections a year ago, but fell just short of a majority. Canadians voted in three ridings on Monday to fill vacated seats, and the Liberals easily won two Toronto areas where the party had dominated in recent votes, CBC projected. The result was still too close to call in Quebec’s Terrebonne district, where the Liberal candidate and Bloc Quebecois separatist were running nearly even. But the two wins in Toronto gave the Liberals full control of parliament, holding enough seats to ensure they do not seat the speaker of the house — a Liberal — to break a tie. Continued on Page 10...
www.theasianstar.com SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2026
Local Punjabi radio host jailed 5 1/2 years for smuggling 108 kg of meth from USA
Liberals suspend federal gas tax - waiting for Province to do the same
A British Columbia woman who worked in Punjabi-language broadcasting has been sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison after attempting to smuggle more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine into Canada from the United States. Sukhvinder Kaur Sangha pleaded guilty to unlawful importation in 2024 after she was arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency having fled a border crossing in Surrey, at “high speed” in a rental vehicle in October 2021. Sangha’s sentence was handed down by the B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster on April 10, and the ruling says she gave “untruthful testimony” by claiming she was being threatened and coerced into smuggling the drugs. Justice John Gibb-Carsley says in his reasons for sentence that Sangha showed up at the Pacific Border crossing on Oct. 21, 2021, in a rental car with Florida plates, telling guards she had been in Washington State for her aunt’s funeral. Continued on Page 7...
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will suspend the excise fuel tax on gasoline and diesel until Labour Day as the Iran war sends energy costs surging. Carney says the tax break will start on Monday and is expected to save Canadians 10 cents per litre of regular gasoline and four cents on a litre of diesel. Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill this morning, Carney says the tax relief is a "responsible, temporary measure" that will also help to reduce costs for truckers and businesses with high transportation costs. The move stops short of a call from the Conservative party to cut taxes on gas and diesel for the rest of the year and permanently end other levies on energy production. U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday the American military had begun a blockade of Iranian ports as part of his effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Vaisakhi parade in Surrey highlights busy weekend in Metro Vancouver A week after Vancouver’s Vaisakhi parade, the celebration moves to Surrey, where more than half a million people are expected to turn out for what organizers say is the largest Vaisakhi parade in the world.
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Whether or not you’re planning to be part of the crowd on Saturday, there’s plenty to do in Metro Vancouver this weekend. Here are some events and activities to check out. Surrey Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade The annual Surrey Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade will depart Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar around 9 a.m. Saturday and head south on 128 Street before completing a loop along 82 Avenue, 124 Street and 75 Avenue and returning to the gurdwara. As always, lining the route will be food stalls, community stages, live music and performances. Continued on Page 7...
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