Sikhs have been in BC for over 100 years
Did you know that…

  • DYK Sikh Heritage Month BC was celebrated for the first time in 2018? What began as a relatively small month-long celebration of Sikh Heritage in 2018 has prospered over the years with the support of our community and dedicated volunteers.

    — sikhheritagebc.ca/about

  • DYK Sikh Heritage Month BC was first organized and founded by the Sikh Students Associations of UBC and SFU?

    — sikhheritagebc.ca/about

  • DYK the earliest Sikh settlers in Canada were soldiers? Risaldar Major Kesur Singh is the first recorded Sikh to live in Canada.

    —https://archive.news.gov.bc.ca/releases/news_releases_2013-2017/2015PREM0079-001786.htm

  • DYK the first Gurdwara in North America was on 2nd Avenue in Vancouver?

    — https://bcanuntoldhistory.knowledge.ca/1900/canadas-first-sikh-temple

  • DYK Harjit Singh Sajjan became the first Sikh to command a Canadian Army regiment? Did you also know that Minister Sajjan commanded the Duke of Connaught's Own regiment - the same regiment that turned away the Komagata Maru ship?

    — https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/harjit-sajjan-badass-canada-defence-minister-1.3304931

  • DYK PM William Lyon Mackenzie King devised a plan to mass relocate Sikhs to British Honduras (now Belize)? Sant Teja Singh played an instrumental part in foiling this plan.

    — https://www.straight.com/news/bc-proclaims-sant-teja-singh-day

  • DYK Hardial Singh Atwal was the first Sikh to be born in Canada?

    — https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Some+key+dates+in+a+century+of+Sikhism+in+B.C.-a0583654870

  • DYK that the first wave of Sikh immigrants arrived in BC in 1904? A total of 258 Sikhs were listed in the census at that time.

    — https://explorasian.org/learn/education/sikh-canadian/

  • DYK that Sikhs were denied the right to vote in 1907 when the BC government passed a bill to disenfranchise all natives of India who were not born to Anglo-Saxon parents?

    — https://explorasian.org/learn/education/sikh-canadian/

  • DYK that the Khalsa Diwan Society was formed on July 22, 1902? It was formally established in 1906.

    — http://kdsross.com/about/history/

  • DYK that Justice Palbinder Kaur Shergill became the first turbaned Sikh judge in Canada when she was appointed to the BC Supreme Court on June 23, 2017.

    — https://www.canada.ca/en/department-justice/news/2017/06/government_of_canadaannouncesjudicialappointmentsintheprovinceof1.html https://www.worldsikh.org/palbinder_k_shergill_of_b_c_supreme_court_becomes_1st_turbaned_sikh_judge_in_canada

  • DYK that the majority of early Sikhs mainly worked in industries such as mining, logging and railroads?

    — https://www.abbynews.com/community/first-sikhs-in-abbotsford-met-with-hospitality/

  • DYK that the first Sikh to enter politics in Canada was Naranjan Singh Grewall? He was elected into office in 1950.

    — https://missionarchives.com/publicprog/StreetStories/Grewall.pdf

  • DYK that in 1995, the BC Government officially recognized the Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan?

    — https://www.worldsikh.org/the_province_some_key_dates_in_a_century_of_sikhism_in_b_c

  • DYK The Guru Nanak Mining and Trust Co was one of the first organizations created for the welfare of the Sikh community in 1909?

    — https://heritagebc.ca/south-asian-canadian-location/guru-nanak-mining-trust-co/

  • DYK that in 1991, Baltej Singh Dhillon became the first turbaned Sikh to join the RCMP?

    — https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/baltej-dhillon-case

  • DYK the first Nagar Kirtan took place in 1908 to celebrate the opening of the 2nd Ave Gurdwara?

    — https://explorasian.org/learn/education/sikh-canadian/

  • DYK that in 1970, Sucha Singh Claire opened Shan Sarees and Drapery in what is now Punjabi Market? Today, Punjabi Market is the oldest “Little India” in North America.

    — https://www.cbc.ca/listen/cbc-podcasts/203-the-secret-life-of-canada/episode/15898268-s4-the-punjabi-market

  • DYK that the first Sikh Student’s Association in BC was established at UBC in 1984?

    — https://amscampusbase.ubc.ca/ssa/home/

  • DYK that Mayo Singh founded the town of Paldi in 1917? At one point, it had one of the largest Sikh settlements in all of Canada.

    — https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/multicultural-pioneer-island-community-of-paldi-turns-100

  • DYK that Dr Sarjit K Siddoo was the first Canadian doctor of South Asian descent?

    — https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/vancouversun/obituary.aspx?pid=163378773

  • DYK that Nsibe Kaur became the first South Asian woman to graduate from a BC high school in 1950?

    — https://100yearjourney.com/stories/nsibe-kaur-puri

  • DYK that Khalsa School became the first Sikh school in BC in 1986?

    — https://khalsaschool.ca/about-khalsa/#:~:text=Khalsa%20School%20is%20one%20of,backgrounds%20for%20over%2030%20years.

  • DYK the oldest standing Gurdwara in North America is in Abbotsford? It now also serves as a museum.

    — https://canadiansikhheritage.ca/gur-sikh-temple/

  • DYK that Guru Nanak’s Free Kitchen was founded in 2007? In 2021, they were able to secure a permanent location in the DTES

    — https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/guru-nanaks-free-kitchen-serves-meals-to-those-in-need

  • DYK that Khalsa Credit Union opened its first branch in Vancouver in 1986? In doing so, they became the first Sikh credit union in BC.

    — https://www.khalsacreditunion.ca/about/our-story

  • DYK that the first turbaned MLA in BC was Aman Singh? He was elected in 2020

    — https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/ndp-aman-singh-first-turbaned-sikh-bc-legitslature

  • DYK that Sharanjit Kaur Sandhra became the first Sikh woman to pursue a PhD at UBC in 2014?

    — https://www.bchistory.ca/being-an-activist-historian/

  • DYK that BC is home to the man with the longest beard in the world? Sarwan Singh has been recognized by the Guinness World Records.

    — https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/longest-beard-living-male

  • DYK the Vancouver 2010 Olympics were the first Olympics where the Kirpan was allowed? The WSO was integral in making this happen

    — https://nationalpost.com/holy-post/sikhs-reminded-of-olympic-security-policy-for-kirpans/