April 2, 2007

Media contact: Kim Lawrence
604-864-4611
or 1-888-504-7441, local 4611
Cell: 604-302-6257
kim.lawrence@ucfv.ca

UCFV to conserve and document heritage of
Canada’s oldest Sikh temple

As the newly restored Sikh Gurudwara in Abbotsford opened this past weekend as a national historic site, its storied past was officially entrusted to the Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies at the University College of the Fraser Valley.

The Khalsa Diwan Society of Abbotsford has engaged the Centre to document, record, write, and present the 100-year history of Indian pioneers within the context of the Fraser Valley, the lower mainland, and British Columbia as a whole. The results of the four-year project would be delivered in time for the 2011 celebrations to mark the centennial of the temple.

“We are pleased to pledge support for this project,” said Gurdarshan Singh Sandhu, President of the Khalsa Diwan Society, Abbotsford. “Our 100-year ancestry is full of proud moments, momentous achievements, and what once seemed like insurmountable odds. We managed to come through it all and now we want to document it for our future generations.”

“We are honoured that the local Indo-Canadian community trusts us to preserve and share the heritage of this national treasure,” says Satwinder Bains, Director of the Centre for Canada-India Studies at UCFV. “The project will provide all Canadians with an avenue to learn about the rich traditions and history of this important site and community.”

The Abbotsford Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) has the third-largest Indo-Canadian population in Canada and is the most ethnically diverse in the nation.

For more information about the project, contact Satwinder Bains, Director, Centre for Canada-India Studies at UCFV (www.ucfv.ca/cics). Tel: 1-888-504-7441 local 4547 or email: satwinder.bains@ucfv.ca

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