Monday’s rejection by Abbotsford city councilors of a proposed 500-seat crematorium highlights the need for the increasingly powerful Indo-Canadian community to come together and work out a strategy to build one in that city no matter what.
Indo-Canadians constitute close to a quarter of Abbotsford’s population and the so-called mainstream community MUST show respect for them – otherwise, we will have to show them how to do so!
And Abbotsford only Indo-Canadian councillor, Moe Gill, told The VOICE that the Indo-Canadian community should now buy their own land and build a crematorium on it.
Monday’s rejection was nothing but the usual white racism, in my opinion, that was whipped up some businesses that run funeral homes, and the white councillors – except for Councillor Lynne Harris – caved in to the pressure by those businessmen and residents of the area where the funeral home was to be built. The only other councillor who backed the proposal was Moe Gill. Mayor George Ferguson abstained from voting.
The proposal for the crematorium came from the not-for-profit Abbotsford Community Crematorium Society that was to raise $5 million for the facility that would have been built on about two acres of the city’s land.
Indo-Canadians in Abbotsford have to go all the way to Delta or Vancouver for funeral services. Norm Sangha, a prominent and highly respected Sikh leader and a member of the committee that was appointed by the Abbotsford Community Crematorium Society to pursue this project, told The VOICE: “Our community used to go to Mission, but there is no room to do that kind of service. Nowadays, our people expect services like Delta (Five Rivers Funeral Home) and there is no such facility in Chilliwack, Mission or Abbotsford. So that’s (building such a facility in Abbotsford) what we were trying to do.
“There’s a crematorium in Mission that our community built about 30 years ago. There’s no sitting room inside. Outside, there’s a room for about 50 people to stand when the cremation is done. But before that, to do the full service (there is no space). They have to go all the way to Delta.”
Sangha told me that the committee had worked on this proposal for the past seven years. He added: “Finally, a couple of months ago, we decided that we are going to push the city to give us a yes or no. We didn’t want this to drag on. We did that, and there was too much opposition from the existing funeral homes and so it’s denied. So now it’s up to the community to select a new committee and give directions if the community wants to buy its own property and do it. Our mandate was only up to this point.”
Sangha said he and some others want to quit because they have personal family matters to take care of. He wanted younger members of the community to step up and take this to the next level.
And that’s exactly what Moe Gill wants to get done.
Gill, who’s really ticked off about the council’s rejection, told me how he had pursued this matter and done all that was need to do. He supported the proposal at Monday’s council vote. In his eight-page submission he recounted the history of the Sikhs and why such a project was needed for the city.
But Gill is not one to accept defeat. He told me: “If we are to carry on with this - and we do need to build a funeral home and a crematorium in Abbotsford - I think another group needs to come forward, or work with the same group, to say we are going to make it happen and let’s make it happen.”
Gill pointed out the absurdity of the argument of those who opposed the project that the land for it belongs to the taxpayers.
He said: “Are the Indo-Canadians not taxpayers? We were willing to pay $85,000 tax on the city property and the building was going to be on the city property and it was going to be owned by the city.
“Look at it another way. If you cremate someone, you are done with it. But if you bury someone in a graveyard, not only do you take the land, but the recreation department has to look after it. They mow the lawn and make sure the cemetery looks nice and clean. And who’s paying the tax on it? The other taxpayers are paying the burden on it.
“And here there was going to be no burden because they were going to pay $85,000 plus the increase in the future on the tax base – to be paid every year.
“This is picking on one committee. And I’ve been on council all these years, building bridges and then you look at it – one day the bridges come tumbling down.”
Gill said: “Somebody said you should boycott the elections. Why should you boycott the elections? You have a right to vote and our forefathers fought for the right to vote. They lost their lives in the world wars. Issues will come up time after time and you have to stand your ground no matter what. I always stand my ground. I don’t walk away from it whether you are going to get defeated or not. I don’t worry about that. You get kicked – that’s all right; you get up again and go after it again.”
Gill suggested: “I think the community will have to come together and work hard, work with the communities in the other parts of the Lower Mainland, and say ‘well, it’s tough and we wish to build a crematorium in Abbotsford and let’s acquire a couple of acres and build a crematorium on it.’”
Gill pointed out that the non-profit committee that was to look after the proposed crematorium would have had only three Indo-Canadian directors out of a total of about 11 directors.
He added: “Now if they (Indo-Canadians) buy their own land and build a funeral home and a crematorium on it, that will belong to them. Twenty years down the road if they want to sell that and build a different place, they will get the money back. If they were to use that $5 million on a building on the city property, and they were to walk away tomorrow, that building was going to stay with the city. So that would have been a $5-million loss right there. Why should we lose that money? … Sometimes things happen for a purpose.”
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