“This is simply unacceptable and disappointing especially as 30% of BC’s South Asian population is in Surrey,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade.
SURREY – The Surrey Board of Trade said they are shocked and very disappointed to learn that there will be no Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) event in Surrey, British Columbia, during the film awards week (next week) – April 4-6.
“This is simply unacceptable and disappointing especially as 30% of BC’s South Asian population is in Surrey. We really wanted this to be a regional event – but all events are taking place in Vancouver – and one took place in Richmond on March 2nd related to a Fashion Show,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade.
The Surrey Board of Trade and the Provincial government did try to bring a TOIFA-related event to Surrey for the past two weeks, but there is no commitment by the Times of India Group to bring anything to Surrey, said Huberman.
Huberman said the Surrey Board of Trade had been lobbying to be a part of TOIFA for some time and says this is a lost opportunity for fans and for the local economy.
“We were one of the original advocates for a Bollywood awards event to take place and so we are extremely disappointed that there is no Times of India Film Awards event in Surrey,” she said.
Christy Clark and the BC Liberals are spending $11 million of taxpayers’ money on TOIFA.
