Arrest made in ‘unprovoked’ Burnaby attack on 84-year-old woman

rn

rn rnrnLast year, Belmas says, the bully taunted her son in the washroom so much, an educational assistant now stands outside the washroom when he needs to use it.rnrn"All they did was send a note home in the bully's agenda," she said. "The only reason I found out is because my son seemed off that night. Finally, I got him to open up and talk and he just started crying."rnrn"Bullying is terrible but it's especially terrible when you do it to someone who can't fight back. My son has medical issues but he's also speech delayed. He can't pronounce or say a lot of words. There's gonna be backlash."rnrnBelmas says she wants the bully removed from her son's class and put in another.rnrn"My son is the victim. Why should he have to give up his teacher and his friends? Especially when his teacher this year has been absolutely amazing. She's tried her best but she's at her wits end with this [bully]. You can tell by her demeanor. I'd like some kind of punishment for this kid."rnrnThe Maple Ridge School District tells NEWS 1130, they're taking this incident seriously.rnrn"A parent reached out to the school principal yesterday to share her deep concerns about her child's experiences with a classmate. The principal recognized the seriousness of these concerns and immediately began a review to gain a full understanding of the situation and to determine how the concerns that were raised might best be addressed," a statement says.rnrn"While we cannot speak to situations involving specific students, the school is committed to ensuring there is appropriate follow-up. The school district will provide any support that is needed, including the involvement of our Safe and Caring Schools staff and our Early Learning district principal. As this involves young children, the school district is unable to provide further comment."","post_title":"Maple Ridge mom says school downplaying, dismissing bullying of son","post_excerpt":"A Maple Ridge mom is taking aim at her son's school for letting his bully get away with too much.u00a0","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"maple-ridge-school-bullying","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-02-26 21:24:06","post_modified_gmt":"2021-02-27 05:24:06","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https://www.citynews1130.com/?p=3408490","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","permalink":"https://www.citynews1130.com/2021/02/26/maple-ridge-school-bullying/","post_title_shortened":"Maple Ridge mom says school downplaying, dismissing bullying of...","post_thumbnail":""},{"ID":3408516,"post_author":"1007","post_date":"2021-02-26 20:51:52","post_date_gmt":"2021-02-27 04:51:52","post_content":"VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) -- A synagogue on Vancouver Island has been given the go-ahead to resume in-person services this weekend as long as strict protocols are followed.rnrnChabad Vancouver Island has been conducting Shabbat Services outdoors since shortly after B.C.'s top doctor issued an order banning gatherings.rnrn"The reason for that is because, as an orthodox synagogue, we follow traditional Jewish law, we cannot operate services on Zoom, or any electronics. The only way that we can do services on Shabbat is in person," explains Rabbi Meir Kaplan.rnrn"We got permission to be able to hold it outdoors, which was not always so easy."rnrnOn Friday, the synagogue received a letter from Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry giving them permission to move services indoors starting Saturday.rnrnThe protocols the congregation will have to follow include limiting attendance to 25 people, mandating masks, ensuring people are seated two meters apart, and thoroughly sanitizing all surfaces. Gathering before or after the service is also not allowed.rnrnhttps://twitter.com/LizaYuzda/status/1365424371888750596rnrnKaplan says it was fitting that the news came during Purim -- a joyful holiday.rnrn"We are very happy that we can return to the sanctuary together with community, though not like we used to. It's still going to be a very happy service, and it's going to make us feel together again," he says.rnrn"For us, it means a lot. As observant Jews, attending services on a Saturday morning is essential for us. Being able to do that again in our sanctuary is something that we look forward to."rnrnKaplan says he understands that health officials have a difficult job, and the task of balancing keeping how to keep people safe while keeping essential services, businesses, and institutions open is a difficult one.rnrn"Being that we are unable to do it on Zoom, we are very pleased that the government was open to understanding our position. Dr. Henry understood that this is the only way we can conduct the service, that it is essential for us," he says.rnrn"To be able to gather in the synagogue and be inspired by reading the portion of the Torah that we read every Shabbat -- we've done it for thousands of years -- it's a very important part of who we are. This is as essential as it gets for us."rnrnNo changes to the provincial health order have been announced. NEWS 1130 has reached out to the Ministry of Health to ask if other exemptions have been given to other religious groups or organizations.","post_title":"Vancouver Island synagogue to resume indoor services, granted exception to COVID-19 ban","post_excerpt":"A synagogue on Vancouver Island has been given the go-ahead to resume in-person services this weekend as long as strict protocols are followed. ","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"vancouver-island-synagogue-in-person-services","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-02-26 22:52:07","post_modified_gmt":"2021-02-27 06:52:07","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https://www.citynews1130.com/?p=3408516","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","permalink":"https://www.citynews1130.com/2021/02/26/vancouver-island-synagogue-in-person-services/","post_title_shortened":"Vancouver Island synagogue to resume indoor services, granted e...","post_thumbnail":""},{"ID":3408492,"post_author":"1063","post_date":"2021-02-26 19:33:07","post_date_gmt":"2021-02-27 03:33:07","post_content":"VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) u2013 After more than 10 years of studying and working in Canada, Syed Husain finally got an opportunity to cement his right to remain in the country.rnrnBut he says an apparent glitch in the countryu2019s online immigration system has left him in limbo while he tries to secure a future in his chosen homeland.rnrnu201cSo now Iu2019m stuck in the middle here,u201d said Husain, who asked that only his first and middle name be shared to protect his privacy.rn

Vancouver man frustrated by immigration system

rnHusain first came to Canada for school in 2010. He had to interrupt his studies to return to Pakistan to care for his sick father but eventually eventually graduated as a civil engineering technologist in 2018.rnrnHe soon found employment in Metro Vancouver and was on track to gain permanent residency through the countryu2019s u201cexperience classu201d for people already living and working in Canada.rnrnHusain created a profile on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website with documentation of his residency, education and employment earning him points on his digital profile.rnrnThe Canadian government issues a new round of invitations to candidates wanting to apply for permanent residency every two weeks. It determines the number of applicants it wants and then sets a points threshold.rnrnHusain, along with thousands of people in Canada and around the world, checked the criteria for each draw, hoping to have enough points.rnrnResults from an English-language test that would have given him enough points to qualify for a round of invitations in July 2020 arrived a day late. In subsequent invitation rounds the point threshold was raised, forcing him to wait.rn

Canada invites huge wave of residents to stay

rnFinally, on Feb. 13, 2021, IRCC announced it was dropping the points threshold from the mid-400s to 75, accepting more than 27,000 applications u2013 virtually every immigrant in the experience-class stream.rnrnWhen Husain logged into his account that day, he had yet to receive the official invitation. In the early hours of Feb. 14, he got an email telling him there was an update to his profile, but he was unable to sign in. He believes the deluge of invitees crashed IRCCu2019s servers.rnrnHe was finally able to log in the next day, but his profile displayed as u201cexpired,u201d leaving him unable to file an application. While the profile was slated to expire Feb. 14, Husain believes it should have been frozen because he had received an invitation the day before.rnrnu201cIt's such a huge coincidence that they conducted a draw one day before my expiry date," Husain told NEWS 1130.rnrnHusain says he tried to call IRCC more than 20 times before finally getting through, but was told to fill out an online form explaining his predicament, which he did.rn

Waiting in 'limbo' withoutu00a0communication

rnHe was then left with two choices.rnrnHe could wait for the complaint to be heard, with no assurance of when it would be considered or whether IRCC would allow him to submit an application based on the Feb. 13 invitation. Or he could delete his existing profile u2013 to which the invitation and complaint are linked u2013 in order to create a new one in the hopes he qualifies for a future round of invitations.rnrnu201cI'm waiting in limbo right now,u201d Husain told NEWS 1130 last week.rnrnHe recently married and sponsored his wife to come to Canada.rnrnHusain said they are keen to build a life here and are both planning to pursue graduate degrees, which they cannot start without permanent residency exempting them from inflated foreign-student tuition.rnrn"We all come here to basically get educated and then work here and then basically get settled here because it's such a nice place u2013 everything is just good about it,u201d he said. u201cIt's just missing a chance like this is a very tough situation and hard to believe.u201drn

IRCC doesn't answer 'glitch' questions

rnNEWS 1130 emailed IRCC on Thursday Feb. 18, relating Husainu2019s story and asking whether technical issues had prevented invitees from submitting permanent residency applications.rnrnThe following Monday, after NEWS 1130 followed up, an IRCC spokesperson said the agency u201cmust have completely missedu201d the initial request and asked for more time to respond.rnrnOn Thursday, a spokesperson provided a written statement that did not answer any questions about potential glitches in IRCCu2019s online application system.rnrnu201cDue to privacy laws, we cannot comment on an individualu2019s case without consent,u201d communications advisor Peter Liang said, suggesting Husain contact the agencyu2019s support centre or complete an online form.rnrnThe Feb. 13 draw inviting 27,332 experience-class candidates to apply for permanently residency was the largest in the agencyu2019s history.rnrnu201cThese aspiring Canadians are already established here, possess valuable skills and are giving back to their communities. They are hard at work in some of the most essential parts of our economy and are ready to build their future in Canada,u201d he said.rn

'No real good communication' with agency, lawyer says

rnWill Tao, an immigration lawyer based in Vancouver, said the massive draw came without warning and itu2019s unclear what IRCC plans to do next.rnrnWhen NEWS 1130 described Husainu2019s situation to Tao, he said a u201ctechnical snafuu201d was likely to blame.rnrnu201cFrom my perspective, there's no reason he shouldn't have 90 days to apply for PR and that profile should be live,u201d Tao said.rnrnTao said Husain is right to be concerned information related to his complaint could be lost if he deletes his existing profile to create a new one for future draws.rnrnBut he said Husainu2019s story fits into a larger and longstanding issue with IRCC u2013 a seemingly impenetrable bureaucracy that regularly fails to respond to questions and complaints, including from professionals like Tao.rnrn"There's no real good communication channel with immigration that allows for something like this to be fixed u2013 and that, to me, is a major shortcoming," he said.","post_title":"Canadian immigrant's shot at permanent status ruined by 'glitch' in gov't website","post_excerpt":"Canadian immigrant's shot at permanent residency ruined by 'glitch' in gov't website","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"canadian-immigrant-glitch-ircc","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-02-27 08:53:36","post_modified_gmt":"2021-02-27 16:53:36","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https://www.citynews1130.com/?p=3408492","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","permalink":"https://www.citynews1130.com/2021/02/26/canadian-immigrant-glitch-ircc/","post_title_shortened":"Canadian immigrant's shot at permanent status ruined by 'glitch...","post_thumbnail":""},{"ID":3408661,"post_author":"361","post_date":"2021-02-27 07:28:18","post_date_gmt":"2021-02-27 12:28:18","post_content":"While it's tempting to compare various aspects of AstraZeneca-Oxford's newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to others, several experts cautioned against focusing on data that is not comparable and the danger of underrating the product's ability to curb hospitalizations and deaths.rnrnHealth Canada's long-awaited announcement Friday that a third vaccine would soon be deployed came just as the provinces faced heightened scrutiny over regional immunization plans that vary by timeline, age eligibility and priority groups.rnrnPrime Minister Justin Trudeau promised the boost to Canada's pandemic arsenal would mean "more people vaccinated, and sooner," and would be key to helping contain spread.rnrnNevertheless, Health Canada chief medical advisor Dr. Supriya Sharma acknowledged questions over how the public should evaluate trial results that show AstraZeneca has an efficacy of 62 per cent in preventing symptomatic cases. That's compared to the 95 per cent efficacy of the country's two other approved vaccines, from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.rnrnBut Sharma stressed that all three have been shown to prevent 100 per cent of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.rnrn"Each vaccine has unique characteristics and Health Canada's review has confirmed that the benefits of the viral vector-based vaccine, as with the other authorized vaccines, outweigh their potential risks," Sharma said.rnrnSeveral medical experts including Dr. Stephen Hwang say Canadians do not have the luxury to pick-and-choose as long as COVID-19 cases continue to rage in several hot spots and strain health-care systems.rnrnWith multiple COVID-19 projections warning of a variant-fuelled third wave without tighter suppression measures, any tool that can slow the pandemic should be embraced, he argued.rnrn"It would be important for people to be vaccinated with whichever vaccine is first available in their community to them, rather than trying to hold out for a specific vaccine," advised Hwang, who treats COVID-19 patients at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.rnrnStill, Toronto resident Maria Brum couldn't help but question whether AstraZeneca was safe for her 79-year-old mother.rnrnThe vaccine was not tested on people over the age of 65. Health Canada, however, says real-world data from countries already using the product suggest it is safe and effective among older age groups, promising an update on efficacy in the age group as more data comes in.rnrn"I personally would take that one out as an option for my mom," said Brum, who is her mother's main caregiver.rnrn"Maybe I am wrong but, I don't know, I don't see that it's more useful. I'd like to see one that has a higher percentage of (efficacy)."rnrnAs for herself, Brum said she has allergies that she believes may put her at greater risk of adverse reactions and so she is unsure whether she can take any vaccine.rnrnBut she'd like the option of choosing, if possible, even while acknowledging that limited supply could make that unlikely.rnrn"As a Canadian, I would like to see us all have choices, regardless of age, gender, or ability," says Brum.rnrn"I'm going to wait where I can have more choices."rnrnSuch hesitancy could pose public health challenges to Canada reaching the vaccination coverage needed to build protective immunity against COVID-19, said Hwang.rnrnHe noted that Germany has seen a reported preference among some for the vaccine made by Germany's BioNTech with Pfizer, as well as a misconception that the AstraZeneca vaccine is inferior because of a lower efficacy rate.rnrnHwang says efficacy between vaccines cannot be compared because each involved completely different trials at different time periods, in different countries, with different volunteers of different age groups and varying trial design.rnrn"Until we have direct comparison studies where we give people one vaccine versus another and directly compare, it's very difficult to know for sure how it's going to pan out," he says.rnrnThen there's the fact Canada's initial AstraZeneca doses will be made at the Serum Institute of India, which dubs its version CoviShield, while later packages will be produced at the drug giant's own manufacturing facilities.rnrnHwang acknowledges that could invite further scrutiny but says the Pune, India-based biotech firm has a "strong track record of producing vaccines."rnrnSharma also stressed the similarities between the two shots Friday.rnrn"For all intents and purposes they're the same vaccine," said Sharma.rnrn"There are some slight differences in terms of manufacturing and the places that they are manufactured are different. The analogy is a bit like the recipe _ so the recipe for the vaccine is the same, but they're manufactured in different kitchens." ","post_title":"Experts caution against comparison shopping of COVID-19 vaccines","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"experts-caution-against-comparison-shopping-of-covid-19-vaccines","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2021-02-27 07:28:18","post_modified_gmt":"2021-02-27 12:28:18","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https://toronto.citynews.ca/?p=2397290","menu_order":0,"post_type":"post","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw","permalink":"https://www.citynews1130.com/2021/02/27/experts-caution-against-comparison-shopping-of-covid-19-vaccines/","post_title_shortened":"Experts caution against comparison shopping of COVID-19 vaccines","post_thumbnail":""}]}; /* ]]> */