Issue # 457 (2)


THE CONTACT


Hundreds attend funeral of gangster Ranjit Cheema amid strong police monitoring


Continued.... from Page 1 At this funeral, Cheema's relatives comforted his weeping wife and carried his young daughter.


The 90-minute service was followed by a prayer service at Vancouver's Ross Street Sikh temple, which Cheema had been attending regularly since getting out of jail. The temple is just two blocks from the spot Cheema was shot to


death about 9:30 a.m. in front of his parents' home on East 61st. Vancouver Police said after the murder that Cheema had been targeted in a drive-by shooting and that the killer or killers had driven away. Investigators have asked anyone who saw a suspicious vehicle in the area in the days or weeks prior to the shooting to call 604-717-2500. kbolan@vancouversun.com


India-born professor donates sustainability award money


and the first award was given to Bawa for his work on biodiversity in Central America, the Western Ghats in India and the Himalayas. At the acceptance ceremony in February, Bawa said it was unfortunate that almost all money in international assistance goes to projects rather than to strengthening institutions. Standing by his belief that "it is institutions that transform societies", Bawa donated the award money to ATREE. "The gift is a fine example of philanthropy at its best. It also endorses


Continued.... from Page 1 Bawa's commitment to a better world, and to ATREE," said Pheroza Godrej, a member of the governing board of ATREE. ATREE director Gladwin Joseph said: "The gift will help ATREE address important environmental challenges. ATREE was recently ranked No.9 globally, and No.1 in Asia among environmental think tanks." Bawa was recently elected to the prestigious American Academy of


Arts and


Sciences for his contribution to public discourse and public policy surrounding sustainability.


15 May to 21 May 2012 Punjabi market in Canadian cities


which are common in the USA, especially among some impoverished African-American communities in major American cities. Canada has a much stronger social safety net, official multiculturalism policy and a much more healthy approach to immigration than the USA. Nonetheless, perhaps the large impoverished and somewhat neglected Aboriginal population in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver is the closest thing to an ethnic ghetto in Canada. It is important to note, however, that the history, settlement patterns, public safety issues, government response, and approach to poverty and social problems in the Downtown Eastside is probably very different than the American experience.


The Punjabi ethnic enclaves


in Vancouver and Surrey are actually thriving middle class communities and commercial districts. Most members of the community are property owners and their children are becoming professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and engineers and contributing to Canada. This does not mean there are not problems in the community such as organized crime, gender selection, and lack of integration and language problems. In fact, you can go to some popular fast food restaurants in Surrey and the person at the front counter


Continued.... from Page 1 cannot even speak fluent English.


Nonetheless, there are many benefits to ethnic enclaves. They provide a focal point for the community. They are a gathering place for people of similar origins and provide an efficient way to provide culturally sensitive public services such as English language, settlement, translation, and employment training services. Ethnic enclaves add colour to cities. The Punjabi market in Vancouver and Surrey are fast becoming a tourist draw and shopping mecca for high quality silks, suits, saris, sweets, spices, delicious authentic curry dishes, ornate gold jewellery, and of course Bollywood films. The Punjabi and Hindi films showcased at the Strawberry Hill cinemas in Surrey are often packed with local South Asian residents and even many members of the mainstream community. Furthermore, the evolution of an ethnic enclave is in keeping with freedom of mobility rights and is democratic. Many Canadians, however, argue that it is not healthy to form ethnic enclaves where people of similar interests, religions, customs, language, and culture gather together. They say it will lead to the balkanization of Canada, as there is a point of no return when some ethnic enclaves grow and grow so large. We have seen


Two Nigerians among four held for duping NRI


NEW DELHI: Four persons, including two Nigerians, have been arrested for allegedly duping an NRI of Rs 43.5 lakh two years ago by selling fake licorice seeds, a perennial herb used as flavouring and sweetener in medicines, candies and tobacco products, police said on Saturday. 38-year-old Narender Sharma alias Rajiv Anand alias Roshan Verma and Gurmeet Kohli alias Rinki, 46, were arrested on Wednesday after receiving complaint from an NRI along with a Bangalore-based businessman, Raghavendra Bhat, about receiving mail about "business opportunity in India" from the accused, they said. Two


mobile phones, packet of dummy money, a sample packet of licorice seed and one laptop were recovered from them. Both of them were identified by the complainant as the same persons, who had taken Rs 43.5 lakh from him in 2010, a senior police official said. Two of their associates, identified as Moses Ojeaga alias Abbas, 43, and Idowu Osho alias Abdul, both Nigerian nationals, currently residing at Hauz Rani were arrested when they came to deliver packets of licorice seeds to a decoy customer in Defence colony.


With the arrest of the four the SIT team of Crime Branch of Delhi


Police has busted an international racket involved in fraud. "The NRI had alleged that he received a spam mail in December 2010 from Canada about "Business Opportunity in India". He replied to it in the positive. Thereafter, he exchanged many mails with Terry John (name mentioned in the mail) and he asked him to supply "licorice seed" from India to their Canada-based company 'Theravaccine', said Sanjay Kumar Jain, DCP Crime and Railways. Lured by the prospect of heavy profit, as the seeds are very rare and costly, he agreed to supply 100 packets of licorice seeds costing nearly Rs 90 lakh


to Terry John's company. On this, he contacted Verma on his mobile phone and the accused agreed to supply 100 packets of licorice seed for Rs 43.5 lakh. After settling the deal, Verma asked him to come to Delhi with cash Rs 43.5 lakh to take the delivery of 100 packets of licorice seed.


In December 2010, the complainant reached Delhi and contacted Verma, who called him near a cafe in Safdarjang Development Area Market. Two persons met him there and one of them introduced himself as Roshan Verma who gave him one packet as sample of licorice seeds.


'Gay marriage is not No.1 priority' DEFENCE SECRETARY PHILIP HAMMOND IS LATEST TO SUGGEST COALITION SHOULD SHELVE PLANS


Tory Cabinet ministers warned Liberal Democrat colleagues yesterday that gay marriage and Lords reform cannot be priorities, amid growing signs that senior Coalition partners are flexing their muscles in the wake of poor local election results. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond - increasingly tipped as a future Chancellor - became the most senior member of the Government to suggest plans to allow gay couples to marry should be shelved. And he


echoed David Cameron's warning last week that the Coalition must not become 'bogged down' on House of Lords reform, saying it should only proceed if legislation can go through Parliament relatively easily. Conservative Party


chairman Baroness Warsi also said Lords reform was not a priority, saying not one voter had raised the issue on the doorstep with her in the last six months. Mr Hammond told the


BBC's Andrew Marr programme that proposals to legalise gay marriage should be delayed to ensure ministers focus on 'the things that matter'. He said: 'Clearly it's not the number one priority. If you stop people in


the street and ask them what their concerns are, they'll talk to you about jobs and economic growth, they'll talk to you about the level of the wages they're earning, wanting to see


real growth in wages again. 'The government has got to show over the next couple of years that it is focused on the things that matter to the people in this country - not just the short-term things but the long-term things as well: the reform of our education system, changing the welfare system - which is like turning around a super-tanker - changing the welfare system so that work always pays and people have an incentive to work.'


the racial and religious riots that engulfed Paris recently by the largely Muslim population who were starting to feel alienated and neglected by the French government. Is there really a breaking point? Should Canadians be concerned about what is happening to their cities and communities? Will ethnic enclaves eventually lead to alienation, decreasing property values, social division, unrest, lack of integration by immigrants, and racial riots? What can be done to prevent this from happening?


A major problem with ethnic enclaves is the segregation within the school system that develops. There are some schools in Surrey, for instance, that are largely South Asian. This can lead to reverse discrimination if steps are not taken to increase education, awareness, and information on diversity issues. Perhaps curriculum changes, student exchanges, sports competitions, and inter-district and regional extra-curricular activities including online learning to connect Canadians from across the country is one solution. It is estimated that Canada will have 1.3 million South Asians in 2011. However, South Asians have one of the lowest levels of inter-racial marriages of 2.27% with white partners compared to 23.77% for Japanese people. Have multiculturalism and ethnic enclaves failed Canada? I agree it is important for Canada to support a common official language policy in English and French to bind the country and provide unity. Canada needs more of a national identity and some sort of glue to keep us together.


In conclusion, I have come to the realization the there are pros and cons with multiculturalism and ethnic enclaves. Anything in its extremes can be dangerous. I do not want to see a balkanized Canada develop. Too much segregation may just lead to racism and discrimination. I am grateful to be an immigrant to Canada. I am grateful for the rights, protections, freedoms, and opportunities provided to me in this great country. I do not want to see Canada change drastically as it tries to accommodate every demand of every cultural group imposing their will on the Canadian demographic. There is a collective responsibility of all immigrants to learn and live in peace in their new homeland and respect Canadians, who have worked so hard to develop Canada into one of the most envied and most successful countries in the world.


Alex Sangha is a registered social worker in British Columbia. He is the author of the social discussion book "The Modern Thinker" and one of the winners of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Awards of 2011.


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