Vol 21 - Issue 44
Saturday, December 3, 2022
Tel:604-591-5423
Canada orders China to shut down police station in Ottawa A Global Affairs Canada official says the department has called in China’s ambassador numerous times over allegations that secret police stations are targeting that country’s diaspora in Canada. A human-rights group has reported
that China operates secret overseas police stations in more than 50 locations around the globe to keep tabs on its citizens abroad. The Spain-based group Safeguard Defenders said three such locations operate in Toronto, but the Chinese
embassy in Canada has described them as volunteer-run service stations to process things like driver’s licences. Ambassador of China to Canada Cong Peiwu speaks as part of a panel
Extreme weather events cost province between $10 and $17 billion
Continued on page 7
Canada’s Indo-Pacific strategy ‘long overdue,’ shows ‘radical change’ on China: experts Canada’s new Indo-Pacific strategy is a step in the right direction and it sends a strong message to Beijing, a former ambassador to China says. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly
unveiled the new strategy on Sunday, when she told reporters that China is an “increasingly disruptive global power” in a region where multiple countries are showing major economic growth.
Icy cold, wind & chance of more snow in the forecast A high pressure system over British Columbia is pushing arctic air and bitter cold to several parts of the province, along with the potential for snow and wind on Friday. Environment Canada says an extreme cold warning is up for B.C.’s Peace River regions with forecasts of wind chill values to -40 C. Arctic outflow warnings have been posted for B.C.’s central and northern coasts, with the wind chill predicted at -20 C. Special weather statements are also up for most of Vancouver Island and the south coast, with icy conditions and wind chills near -10 C. Continued on page 6
“The Indo-Pacific is the fastest growing economic region of the world. By 2030, it will be home to two-thirds of the global middle class and by 2040, it will account for more Continued on page 7
India’s envoy calls on Canada to crack down on Canadian funding of Khalistan Ottawa can help repair frosty relations with New Delhi by cracking down on diasporic funding of the Sikh independence movement that is seeking to create a sovereign homeland known as Khalistan, India’s new envoy to Canada says. Sanjay Kumar Verma said that India has long been concerned that some segments of the Sikh community in Canada are offering support and money to secessionists who want to separate Punjab from India. Punjab is an Indian Continued on page 6
A new assessment of damage caused by extreme weather in 2021 has found heat waves, wildfires and floods cost British Columbia up to $17 billion. The estimate, released Wednesday in a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) report, found that the combined costs of disaster in 2021 likely ranges between $10.6 and $17.1 billion — far outstripping previous estimates. That’s equivalent to between roughly three and five per cent of B.C.’s gross domestic product, said Marc Lee, author and a senior economist with CCPA working on climate justice. “It’s a big number. But I don’t think anyone will be surprised,” Lee said. Lee says he followed best practices in evaluating economic impacts due to extreme weather, counting both insured and uninsured losses, the cost of damage Continued on page 6
MANMOHAN SEKHON M.Sc., M.Phill Life and Health insurance Advisor
604-358-0590 Unit 252 - 8138, 128 St, Surrey, BC V3W 1R1 www.manmohansekhon.com