In a significant event for the South-Asian community, seniors, and the city of Surrey, the PICS Society celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony for the Guru Nanak Diversity Village. This project, which will be one of the largest community developments in Canada and is named in honor of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, will feature a three-story, 125-bed residential care home providing culturally sensitive care for seniors.
The PICS Society expressed appreciation for the $118 million in funding and support from Fraser Health, BC Housing, the Ministry of Health, and the Provincial Government.
“This project was the vision and dream of our late Founder and Founding CEO, Mr. Charanpal Gill, and today, we begin the journey to fulfill that vision,” said Satbir S. Cheema, President & CEO of PICS.
The ceremony was attended by several notable figures, including Minister Adrian Dix, Minister of Health; Minister Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing, who also served as the emcee; Brenda Locke, Mayor of Surrey; Randeep Sarai, Member of the House of Commons of Canada; Jagrup Brar, MLA Surrey-Fleetwood and the first full-time staff member of PICS Society; and MLAs Mike Starchuk, Garry Begg, Jinny Sims, and Rachna Singh. Other prominent attendees included Natalie McCarthy, Vice President of Regional Care Integration; Satbir Singh Cheema, President and CEO of PICS; Dr. Gulzar Cheema, family physician and PICS Society member; Ranbir Manj, Chair of the PICS Board, along with current and past board members; Jack Gill, son of Mr. Charanpal Gill; Anita Huberman, expert in International Trade, Government Relations, and Public Relations; and Indra Bhan, Interim CEO & Chief Operating Officer of the Surrey Board of Trade. The event also saw participation from various staff members, volunteers, PICS Founding members, Lifetime and Regular members, donors, stakeholders, local temples, community members, and leaders.
The ceremony began with a traditional Indigenous welcome by David Kenworthy from the Katzie First Nation, followed by speeches and a prayer led by Giani Jagdish Singh Ji, Head Granthi of Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara. The event concluded with the ground-breaking, marking the official start of construction for this highly anticipated facility. The Ministry of Health hosted and led the event.
To learn more about PICS, visit: https://pics.bc.ca/.
