By Dean Pritchard

A Chinese immigrant arrested working on a massive rural dope farm has been sentenced to two years house arrest.

Goon Kim Wong, 61, pleaded guilty to a single count of production of marijuana. Wong was one of 28 Asian immigrants arrested at the Sundown area farm in October 2005 and the last to be dealt with by the courts.

Court heard police seized 11,000 plants and 2,700 pounds of harvested marijuana worth at least $10 million.

When police raided the farm property, they found the 28 accused in a small house sleeping “head-to-foot, side-to-side,” said Crown attorney Geoff Bayly.

Wong is one of only three accused to be convicted in connection with the operation. Prosecutors stayed charges against 20 co-accused, while another five were acquitted at trial.

Many of the accused were recruited from Toronto’s Chinatown district and did not know they were harvesting marijuana while others felt trapped with no means of escape from the farm, Bayly said.

Prosecutors had evidence Wong may have had a supervisory role at the farm but agreed to a plea bargain due to witness translation issues, Bayly said.

Wong spent over 20 years working as a cook in Toronto and came to Sundown hoping to earn money for his children’s university education, said defence lawyer Rob Tsang.

“He was trying to help his children make a better life for themselves,” Tsang said.

Simon Wong, the man police allege ran the dope farm, has never been arrested. After the bust he boarded a Winnipeg plane bound for British Columbia and disappeared.

Richmond agent stole immigrants’ ICBC payments
By Jason Proctor CBC News Posted: May 11, 2012 11:33 AM PT Last Updated: May 11, 2012 1:33 PM PT
A B.C. provincial court judge sentenced a Richmond insurance agent to one year in jail Thursday for stealing cash from dozens of customers’ insurance payments to pay for his trips to a casino.

Ka Chun Chan, 48, preyed on Chinese immigrants with very little command of English. According to an agreed statement of facts he claimed he took the money to maintain a gambling habit.

He instructed clients to make cheques payable to him rather than to the Insurance Corporation of B.C.
‘Are they going to get the message from Mr. Chan that Canada is a corrupt place?
—Judge Ron Fratkin

The scheme began to unravel when ICBC started notifying clients their Autoplan premiums were in arrears or unpaid.

In the meantime — dozens of motorists with high-end vehicles were driving around Lower Mainland roads without insurance.

Ratna Omidvar, president of the Maytree foundation, says, "Without being part of a public consultation, we’ve drastically changed not only the way we do immigration, but the immigrants who come in." Richard Lautens/The Toronto Star file photo

Immigration applications to Canada drop in Asian countries
Published On Sun, 06 May 2012

Ratna Omidvar, president of the Maytree foundation, says, “Without being part of a public consultation, we’ve drastically changed not only the way we do immigration, but the immigrants who come in.”
Richard Lautens/The Toronto Star file photo
Nicholas Keung
Immigration Reporter

Immigration applications from key Asian countries have dropped by more than half since 2006, when the Conservative government began transforming its migrant selection.

Critics say the disproportionate declines from China, India, the Philippines and Pakistan could be an indication of how Ottawa’s policy changes favour some immigrant countries over others, and would have an impact on the immigrant mix.

“Without being part of a public consultation, we’ve drastically changed not only the way we do immigration, but the immigrants who come in,” said Ratna Omidvar, president of Maytree Foundation, which has a mandate to build strong civic communities.

Poonam Patel, a community counsellor, has been talking to the teen about her situation. Patel said there are many others like her.

Toronto-area teen shares domestic abuse story
CBC News Posted: May 2, 2012 4:56 PM ET Last Updated: May 2, 2012 6:27 PM ET

A teen in the Greater Toronto Area who has experienced domestic abuse is shining a light on an issue encountered by many new immigrant women, community counsellors say.

The teen, whose identity is not being disclosed by CBC in order to protect her, emigrated from India a few years ago with her family.

The family keeps to themselves, and the teen is literally kept under lock and key.

The girl said that when her parents leave their home, they lock the door and take the keys with them. She has no social life, no privacy and doesn’t get to choose which clothes she can wear to school.
Counsellor Poonam Patel has been talking to the unidentified teen about her situation. (CBC)

She has been beaten by her father, and is fearful when he drinks.

Four arrested in counterfeit goods raid at Dr. Flea’s

Four people were arrested and more than $1 million worth of knock-offs were seized when Toronto police executed two search warrants at a north Etobicoke flea market late last week.

Members of 23 Division’s Major Crime Unit raided Dr. Flea’s International Flea Market at 8 Westmore Dr. on Friday, April 27 and Sunday, April 29 after a three-month counterfeit investigation.

Police allege they seized numerous counterfeit items of clothing, toys, handbags and wallets in their search of 16 booths at the popular flea market. The value of the seized items is estimated at more than $1 million.

Also seized were 5,359 fraudulent DVDs, valued at $107,180.

The four people arrested now face 11 charges under the Copyright Act.