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Sikh community donates $24,000 to Fort St. James Hospital

Oct 1, 2020 | 3:52 PM

Fort St. James – The Fort St. James Sikh community has donated $24,000 to the Stuart Lake Hospital.

This afternoon, (Thursday) officials from the Sikh Gurdwara (Singh Gursikh Temple) donated $24,000 to Stuart Lake Hospital Auxiliary to fund the new hospital in Fort St. James.

The construction of the new hospital is expected to begin in summer 2021 and be open for patients in 2024.

According to an official with the Sikh community in Fort St. James, it was home to about 350 Sikh Canadians during the 1970s and 80s.

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Most were employed within the forest industry. In 1981, the close-knit community built the town’s first Gurdwara (place of worship) with the first wedding ceremony taking place in February 1984.

As years went on, the community grew older and children moved to the Lower Mainland and some moved to the Okanagan and Calgary to pursue post-secondary education, while retirees moved to larger cities to access medical services.

As the community decreased in number, the Gurdwara was attended less frequently.

In 2013, when the Municipality bought and converted the Victory Christian Church building into a Community Centre, the Sikh community offered the Gurdwara to be used as their Church.

This year, the Victory Christian Church purchased the Gurdwara building and the Sikh community chose to donate the proceeds to various community organizations.