Blast victim’s brother awaits decision of immigration officials

The brother of an immigrant from India who was killed in this summer’s Sunrise Propane explosion will hear from the immigration officials today as to whether or not he can extend his stay in Canada in order to tie up loose ends left by his brother’s death.

The brother of an immigrant from India who was killed in this summer’s Sunrise Propane explosion will hear from the immigration officials today as to whether or not he can extend his stay in Canada in order to tie up loose ends left by his brother’s death.

33-year old Vikramjit Singh Saini arrived in Canada on the 3rd of September on a two-month single entry visitor’s visa to attend the funeral of his brother Parminder. On 26th of October, his visa expired but he needs to stay in Canada in order to handle the outstanding legal matters and insurance claims against Sunrise Propane. Alfred Kwinter, the family’s lawyer, has said that the process could take as long as a year.

After a meeting between Saini and immigration authorities on Monday, a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said that Mr. Saini’s case is under review at present and currently he is not facing imminent deportation.

Saini is seeking a multiple-entry visitor’s visa that would enable him to travel between India and Canada several times over the next year as and when needed.

25-year old Parminder Singh Saini, a student at Brampton’s Sheridan College, was working at the Sunrise Propane facility near Keele St. and Wilson Ave. and he was he was killed there in an early morning blast on the 10th of August.

An independent review prepared for the provincial government concluded that even though Ontario’s propane system has the most stringent safety standards in Canada, many improvements are needed in the system. The review, which was released last week, recommended 40 ways to boost safety of its workers. One of the recommended ways included better training of its staffs. The study said that even though the standards are higher, they need to be even higher for the safety of workers.