When Bikramjit Singh Sandhar and his Sikh Youth Slate finally ousted the long-entrenched old guard at the huge, 32,000-member Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara (Temple) on Scott Road in Surrey on Nov. 15, they knew there would be challenges in steering North America's second-largest gurdwara in new directions.
One of them came when the new 18-member board officially took over last week. It was told by the outgoing incumbents that their gurdwara, second in size only to the Ross Street Gurdwara in Vancouver, was roughly $450,000 in debt.
Details of the debt are unclear, but Sandhar says financial records filed with the Canada Revenue Agency show that in fiscal 2008 the old board approved gifts of $500,000 to the Cloverdale Sikh Society and $20,000 to the Bear Creek Punjab Cultural Society.
The $450,000 debt is composed of a $200,000 demand loan, a $150,000 line of credit and between $85,000 and $95,000 in unpaid bills. Unfortunately, a water leak in the treasurer's office destroyed many financial receipts, he said.
"What's really shocking is that during the election campaign, the other slate said there was no debt," Sandhar said. "There are good debts, like borrowing to buy property or bad debts -- so we're now looking into the details to see how the money was spent," he said.
Ironically, the Nov. 15 vote was the second time that Sandhar's young, mostly Canadian-born slate had won. Under a different leader its first win came in November 2008, but the vote was challenged in court by the incumbents.
The judge gave both sides a choice--either go to trial or hold another vote.
The latter option was selected. The second time, the Sikh Youth Slate, whose Internet and technology-savvy members range in age from about 20 to 50 and include three females, won the three-year term by a larger margin: 13,458 to 7,257.
"People were looking for change," said Sandhar, the new slate's 43-year-old president who works in the insurance and mutual-fund sectors in Surrey.
And a big part of that change will be the gurdwara's involvement with its surrounding community.
The new slate--which has had significant success in establishing new community-focused programs after it was founded in New Westminster in 2006 -- is particularly keen on working with young people, especially on issues such as drug use and criminal/gang activities.
"Not only our community, but the community at large, is especially worried right now about youth," said Sandhar, who lives in Surrey and has three children. "We've been doing some of these programs in New Westminster and now we'll bring them to Surrey on a much larger scale."
In building its youth programs, Guru Nanak expects to work closely with the City of Surrey as well as the RCMP, he added. Additional programs to help connect the elderly with youth are also anticipated.
Finally, the new slate has also put the once-divisive issue of using tables and chairs in the gurdwara dining room to rest. The tradition of sitting on floor mats (it's one way Sikhs teach humility and equality) will be practised, but the elderly and disabled can still use tables and chairs.
"We simply have to move on," Sandhar said.
