British Columbia

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Canada Resumes LMIA Processing in Eight Regions, Opening Doors for Foreign Workers

Canada Resumes LMIA Processing in Eight Regions, Opening Doors for Foreign Workers

Ottawa (Rajeev Sharma): Canada has officially resumed Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) processing under the Low-Wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in eight regions, creating new opportunities for foreign workers and employers, according to Chanda Immigration. The move follows updated labour market data showing unemployment rates have fallen below the federal six per cent threshold, allowing low-wage hiring to resume in previously restricted areas. Eligible regions include Vancouver, Winnipeg, Halifax, Kingston, Montréal, Moncton, Saint John, and Fredericton. Employers in these regions can now submit LMIA applications to hire foreign workers across sectors such as hospitality, retail, caregiving,…
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ESCALATING EXTORTION ATTACKS PUT SURREY’S SMALL BUSINESSES UNDER PRESSURE

ESCALATING EXTORTION ATTACKS PUT SURREY’S SMALL BUSINESSES UNDER PRESSURE

Surrey,/ Newton ( Rajeev Sharma): Surrey police are investigating a fresh case of suspected extortion related violence after a business in the Newton neighbourhood was targeted in a shooting early morning Wednesday, underscoring growing safety concerns for business owners across the region. According to the Surrey Police Service (SPS), officers responded to a shots-fired call at approximately 2:10 a.m. in the 8000 block of King George Boulevard, near 80th Street. When police arrived, they found the front of a business damaged, with multiple bullet holes visible in the windows. No one was inside at the time, and no injuries were…
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Wedding Photography Business Owner Shot Dead in Surrey; IHIT Rules Out Gang Conflict

Wedding Photography Business Owner Shot Dead in Surrey; IHIT Rules Out Gang Conflict

Surrey ( Rajeev Sharma) : Homicide investigators have released the identity of a man who was found suffering from fatal gunshot wounds on a Surrey street Tuesday afternoon. Shortly after 12 p.m., the Surrey Police Service (SPS) responded to reports of a man lying near a property on 176 Street, just north of the Grandview Heights area. When officers arrived, they located the injured man, who was later pronounced dead at the scene. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) was called in shortly afterward and has since taken over the investigation. On Wednesday, in an effort to advance the case,…
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Daylight Killing of Surrey Businessman Triggers Intensive Police Investigation

Daylight Killing of Surrey Businessman Triggers Intensive Police Investigation

Surrey (Rajeev Sharma): A fatal shooting in the middle of the day has left Surrey residents shaken after a Punjabi businessman was killed near his property on Tuesday afternoon. Police confirmed that the incident occurred just after noon, at approximately 12:05 pm local time, outside a farm located near 176 Street and 35 Avenue. The victim, identified as 48-year-old Binder Garcha, was reportedly attacked near the gate of his land and was pronounced dead at the scene. First responders arrived within minutes of receiving emergency calls, but the victim had already suffered fatal injuries. The area was quickly cordoned off…
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Abbotsford Shooting Claims Life of Young Man With Punjab Roots, Police Cite Gang Feud

Abbotsford Shooting Claims Life of Young Man With Punjab Roots, Police Cite Gang Feud

Abbotsford (Rajeev Sharma): A late-night shooting in West Abbotsford has left a 28-year-old man of Punjabi descent dead, with investigators linking the incident to an intensifying feud among criminal networks tied to drug trafficking in British Columbia. The victim, Navpreet Singh Dhaliwal, was born and raised in Canada, though his family originates from Sudhar village in Punjab’s Ludhiana district. Authorities say the killing was premeditated and forms part of a broader pattern of violence connected to rival groups operating across the province. Police received an emergency call just after midnight on January 9 regarding gunfire at a home on Siskin…
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British Columbia Faces “The Big One”: Is the Province Prepared for a Major Earthquake?

British Columbia Faces “The Big One”: Is the Province Prepared for a Major Earthquake?

Victoria, B.C. (Rajeev Sharma): A new provincial disaster report paints a stark picture of the potential devastation a major earthquake could bring to British Columbia—and underscores that preparation is just as crucial as the quake itself. The British Columbia Disaster and Climate Risk and Resilience Assessment (DCRRA), released in October 2025, describes a scenario that, while extreme, is considered highly plausible by experts. Imagine a midsummer heatwave during wildfire season: a megathrust magnitude 9.0 earthquake strikes off the coast of Vancouver Island. In minutes, violent shaking sweeps across Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, damaging 18,000 buildings, killing more than…
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British Columbia Looks to India for Trade Growth Amid Shifting Global Alliances

British Columbia Looks to India for Trade Growth Amid Shifting Global Alliances

British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): British Columbia Premier David Eby departed for India on Friday, launching a trade-focused visit that underscores a changing approach in Canadian economic strategy — one that places commercial opportunity ahead of unresolved diplomatic tensions. The trip is deliberately low-profile. No business delegations or ceremonial events are scheduled, and the premier is accompanied only by Jobs and Economic Growth Minister Ravi Kahlon and a small support team. Despite its modest format, the mission carries significant weight as Canada and its provinces seek to reduce reliance on the United States amid escalating trade barriers and political uncertainty. The…
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Decades-Old Highway Murder Case Reaches Closure as Accused Extradited to Canada

Decades-Old Highway Murder Case Reaches Closure as Accused Extradited to Canada

Victoria, B.C. (Rajeev Sharma): More than 20 years after a brutal killing at a remote highway rest stop in northern British Columbia, an American man has been brought to Canada to face justice for the crime. James Daniel Morgan, already serving a lengthy prison sentence in the United States for an unrelated murder, appeared before a B.C. court on Friday in connection with the 2001 death of 74-year-old James Hamrick. Hamrick, a great-grandfather from the United States, was travelling through Canada in his camper when he was killed near Prince George in September 2001. Investigators say Hamrick had offered Morgan…
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British Columbia Sees Above-Average Snow Levels as Winter Progresses

British Columbia Sees Above-Average Snow Levels as Winter Progresses

British Columbia (Rajeev Sharma): British Columbia’s snow pack is off to a strong start this year, with levels slightly above the seasonal average, according to the province’s latest snow survey and water supply bulletin. Issued on January 9, the report indicates that the provincial snow pack stands at 107 per cent of normal levels for this time of year, compared with 87 per cent on January 1, 2025. Regional variations are significant. While the South Coast basin and Vancouver Island are below average—at 67 per cent and 58 per cent, respectively—the Central Coast, Similkameen, and Nechako regions are well above…
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B.C. Court Rules Woman Fit for Trial Despite Claim That Jesus Will Act as Her Lawyer

B.C. Court Rules Woman Fit for Trial Despite Claim That Jesus Will Act as Her Lawyer

Agassiz, B.C.: A British Columbia court has ruled that a woman who told a court-appointed psychiatrist that Jesus Christ would be her lawyer is fit to stand trial, rejecting the Crown’s argument that her religious beliefs made her incapable of participating in legal proceedings. Denise Angela Norris faces a charge of reckless discharge of a firearm in connection with an incident in Agassiz, B.C., last June, during which she allegedly fired a weapon in an interaction with police. The Crown sought a ruling that Norris was unfit to stand trial, citing psychosis accompanied by religious delusions and arguing that she…
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