Charities

Letter from Pierre Gravelle, the Deputy Minister of National Revenue for Revenue Canada to Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill informing him of changes to the Canadian numbering system applied to charities. The letter states that charity registration numbers will be replaced with business numbers, and further informs Dr. Gill to complete the attached form so he is able to get a business number for his charity, Indo-Canadian Friendship Society of British Columbia.

Creator: Bodalia, Chandra

Group portrait of Charan Gill holding a certificate with unidentified individuals at a charity event hosted by the United Way British Columbia (then United Way of Lower Mainland), and hosted at one of the Ismaili jamatkhanas in Lower Mainland, B.C.

Charan Pal Gill (June 17, 1936 - February 2, 2021), born in Hong Kong, was a social worker, social activist, labour organizer, anti-racism pioneer and a South Asian community leader in British Columbia. Gill relocated to Vancouver, Canada in 1967, where he briefly worked as a berry picker before finding employment in a sawmill in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Due to an injury to his wrist, Gill left the sawmill and after some training began working as a social worker in Prince Rupert. After working for five years as a social worker, Gill became a registered social worker after obtaining his bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia in 1970. Gill was involved with the Indian People's Association in North America (IPANA) in Vancouver. Founded in Montreal in June 1975, IPANA was a left-wing social group initially focused on generating support for the Naxalite movement in India. In 1979, Gill with IPANA in Vancouver played significant roles in the formation of the Farm Workers Organizing Committee (FWOC). On 6 April 1980, the FWOC transformed into the Canadian Farmworkers Union (CFU). The CFU became the first union in Canada's history centred on farmworkers. Gill was elected CFU founding secretary (by 2004 he also served as secretary and treasurer). He also became the editor of the Farmworker, the CFU's newspaper (published in English and Panjabi). While contributing towards the CFU, Gill pursued postgraduate studies and earned his master's degree in social work in 1983. For much of his professional career he worked for the BC Ministry of Human Resources and Ministry of Social Services and Housing. In November 1980, Gill co-founded the volunteer organization British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism (BCOFR). In 1985 Gill established a new service provider catering to the immediate needs of the South Asian community in British Columbia. The charitable organization was originally known as the Progressive Indo-Canadian Community Services Society and later became the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS). Gill served as the organization's chief executive officer until 2017. Gill gradually retired from social work while working with PICS. He also served on the boards of various organizations, including the agriculture cooperative AgSafe (formerly FARSHA) since 1993; Rainbow Community Health Co-operative since 1998; Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) since 2011; and the BC Non-Profit Housing Association from 2008 to 2012. Gill was the recipient of numerous awards and honours in recognition of his activism and contributions to human rights and workers' rights, such as, the Order of British Columbia (1999) and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).

United Way British Columbia (United Way BC) is a unified provincial organization with the mission to strengthen vital connections that support people in need in their local communities. Their vision is of creating and supporting a healthy, caring, and inclusive community. United Way BC undertakes many initiatives, such as maintaining a BC wildfire recovery fund, a BC flood response campaign, a campaign for Ukraine, and support for those vulnerable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamatkhanas, meaning "the house of the community," is a place of gathering and worship for Ismaili muslims. In jamatkhanas, the values of the Islamic faith are put into practice, including humility, generosity, kindness, compassion, pluralism, search for knowledge, and service to others.

Creator: Bodalia, Chandra

Group portrait of Charan Gill holding a certificate with unidentified individuals at a charity event hosted by the United Way British Columbia (then United Way of Lower Mainland), and hosted at one of the Ismaili jamatkhanas in Lower Mainland, B.C.

Charan Pal Gill (June 17, 1936 - February 2, 2021), born in Hong Kong, was a social worker, social activist, labour organizer, anti-racism pioneer and a South Asian community leader in British Columbia. Gill relocated to Vancouver, Canada in 1967, where he briefly worked as a berry picker before finding employment in a sawmill in Williams Lake, British Columbia. Due to an injury to his wrist, Gill left the sawmill and after some training began working as a social worker in Prince Rupert. After working for five years as a social worker, Gill became a registered social worker after obtaining his bachelor's degree from the University of British Columbia in 1970. Gill was involved with the Indian People's Association in North America (IPANA) in Vancouver. Founded in Montreal in June 1975, IPANA was a left-wing social group initially focused on generating support for the Naxalite movement in India. In 1979, Gill with IPANA in Vancouver played significant roles in the formation of the Farm Workers Organizing Committee (FWOC). On 6 April 1980, the FWOC transformed into the Canadian Farmworkers Union (CFU). The CFU became the first union in Canada's history centred on farmworkers. Gill was elected CFU founding secretary (by 2004 he also served as secretary and treasurer). He also became the editor of the Farmworker, the CFU's newspaper (published in English and Panjabi). While contributing towards the CFU, Gill pursued postgraduate studies and earned his master's degree in social work in 1983. For much of his professional career he worked for the BC Ministry of Human Resources and Ministry of Social Services and Housing. In November 1980, Gill co-founded the volunteer organization British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism (BCOFR). In 1985 Gill established a new service provider catering to the immediate needs of the South Asian community in British Columbia. The charitable organization was originally known as the Progressive Indo-Canadian Community Services Society and later became the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS). Gill served as the organization's chief executive officer until 2017. Gill gradually retired from social work while working with PICS. He also served on the boards of various organizations, including the agriculture cooperative AgSafe (formerly FARSHA) since 1993; Rainbow Community Health Co-operative since 1998; Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) since 2011; and the BC Non-Profit Housing Association from 2008 to 2012. Gill was the recipient of numerous awards and honours in recognition of his activism and contributions to human rights and workers' rights, such as, the Order of British Columbia (1999) and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).

United Way British Columbia (United Way BC) is a unified provincial organization with the mission to strengthen vital connections that support people in need in their local communities. Their vision is of creating and supporting a healthy, caring, and inclusive community. United Way BC undertakes many initiatives, such as maintaining a BC wildfire recovery fund, a BC flood response campaign, a campaign for Ukraine, and support for those vulnerable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamatkhanas, meaning "the house of the community," is a place of gathering and worship for Ismaili muslims. In jamatkhanas, the values of the Islamic faith are put into practice, including humility, generosity, kindness, compassion, pluralism, search for knowledge, and service to others.

Creator: Bodalia, Chandra

Photograph of Scheherazaad Cooper posing with a flower bouquet at a charity event hosted by the United Way British Columbia (then United Way of Lower Mainland), and hosted at one of the Ismaili jamatkhanas in Lower Mainland, B.C.

Scheherazaad Cooper is a performer, choreographer, playwright, and dramaturg with over thirty years of experience as an Odissi classical Indian dancer. Her resume is extensive, highlighting a background in theatre, international performances, interdisciplinary collaborations, solo productions, as well as teaching in higher education. She received her PhD in Sociology and Performance from Goldsmith University of London. In 2022, she showcased a dramatic reading for her play, "The Bibliomancer." She has also published her academic work, including a journal article entitled, "The Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction."

United Way British Columbia (United Way BC) is a unified provincial organization with the mission to strengthen vital connections that support people in need in their local communities. Their vision is of creating and supporting a healthy, caring, and inclusive community. United Way BC undertakes many initiatives, such as maintaining a BC wildfire recovery fund, a BC flood response campaign, a campaign for Ukraine, and support for those vulnerable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamatkhanas, meaning "the house of the community," is a place of gathering and worship for Ismaili muslims. In jamatkhanas, the values of the Islamic faith are put into practice, including humility, generosity, kindness, compassion, pluralism, search for knowledge, and service to others.

Creator: Bodalia, Chandra

Photograph of the attendees watching Scheherazaad Cooper perform Odissi at a charity event hosted by the United Way British Columbia (then United Way of Lower Mainland), and hosted at one of the Ismaili jamatkhanas in Lower Mainland, B.C.

Scheherazaad Cooper is a performer, choreographer, playwright, and dramaturg with over thirty years of experience as an Odissi classical Indian dancer. Her resume is extensive, highlighting a background in theatre, international performances, interdisciplinary collaborations, solo productions, as well as teaching in higher education. She received her PhD in Sociology and Performance from Goldsmith University of London. In 2022, she showcased a dramatic reading for her play, "The Bibliomancer." She has also published her academic work, including a journal article entitled, "The Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction."

Odissi is a classical Indian dance style which originates from the eastern state of Odisha, India. It is one of eight classical dance forms in India. Since the 12th century, odissi has been danced by maharis (people devoted to the dance) in temples. Odissi expresses traditional poetry and songs through movements. Many of the poems performed through Odissi come from the Sanskrit collection of romantic poetry, Gita Govinda, written by Jayadeva Goswami.

United Way British Columbia (United Way BC) is a unified provincial organization with the mission to strengthen vital connections that support people in need in their local communities. Their vision is of creating and supporting a healthy, caring, and inclusive community. United Way BC undertakes many initiatives, such as maintaining a BC wildfire recovery fund, a BC flood response campaign, a campaign for Ukraine, and support for those vulnerable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamatkhanas, meaning "the house of the community," is a place of gathering and worship for Ismaili muslims. In jamatkhanas, the values of the Islamic faith are put into practice, including humility, generosity, kindness, compassion, pluralism, search for knowledge, and service to others.

Creator: Bodalia, Chandra

Photograph of Scheherazaad Cooper performing Odissi at a charity event hosted by the United Way British Columbia (then United Way of Lower Mainland), and hosted at one of the Ismaili jamatkhanas in Lower Mainland, B.C.

Scheherazaad Cooper is a performer, choreographer, playwright, and dramaturg with over thirty years of experience as an Odissi classical Indian dancer. Her resume is extensive, highlighting a background in theatre, international performances, interdisciplinary collaborations, solo productions, as well as teaching in higher education. She received her PhD in Sociology and Performance from Goldsmith University of London. In 2022, she showcased a dramatic reading for her play, "The Bibliomancer." She has also published her academic work, including a journal article entitled, "The Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction."

Odissi is a classical Indian dance style which originates from the eastern state of Odisha, India. It is one of eight classical dance forms in India. Since the 12th century, odissi has been danced by maharis (people devoted to the dance) in temples. Odissi expresses traditional poetry and songs through movements. Many of the poems performed through Odissi come from the Sanskrit collection of romantic poetry, Gita Govinda, written by Jayadeva Goswami.

United Way British Columbia (United Way BC) is a unified provincial organization with the mission to strengthen vital connections that support people in need in their local communities. Their vision is of creating and supporting a healthy, caring, and inclusive community. United Way BC undertakes many initiatives, such as maintaining a BC wildfire recovery fund, a BC flood response campaign, a campaign for Ukraine, and support for those vulnerable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamatkhanas, meaning "the house of the community," is a place of gathering and worship for Ismaili muslims. In jamatkhanas, the values of the Islamic faith are put into practice, including humility, generosity, kindness, compassion, pluralism, search for knowledge, and service to others.

Creator: Bodalia, Chandra

Photograph of Scheherazaad Cooper performing Odissi at a charity event hosted by the United Way British Columbia (then United Way of Lower Mainland), and hosted at one of the Ismaili jamatkhanas in Lower Mainland, B.C.

Scheherazaad Cooper is a performer, choreographer, playwright, and dramaturg with over thirty years of experience as an Odissi classical Indian dancer. Her resume is extensive, highlighting a background in theatre, international performances, interdisciplinary collaborations, solo productions, as well as teaching in higher education. She received her PhD in Sociology and Performance from Goldsmith University of London. In 2022, she showcased a dramatic reading for her play, "The Bibliomancer." She has also published her academic work, including a journal article entitled, "The Alchemy of Rasa in the Performer–Spectator Interaction."

Odissi is a classical Indian dance style which originates from the eastern state of Odisha, India. It is one of eight classical dance forms in India. Since the 12th century, odissi has been danced by maharis (people devoted to the dance) in temples. Odissi expresses traditional poetry and songs through movements. Many of the poems performed through Odissi come from the Sanskrit collection of romantic poetry, Gita Govinda, written by Jayadeva Goswami.

United Way British Columbia (United Way BC) is a unified provincial organization with the mission to strengthen vital connections that support people in need in their local communities. Their vision is of creating and supporting a healthy, caring, and inclusive community. United Way BC undertakes many initiatives, such as maintaining a BC wildfire recovery fund, a BC flood response campaign, a campaign for Ukraine, and support for those vulnerable due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jamatkhanas, meaning "the house of the community," is a place of gathering and worship for Ismaili muslims. In jamatkhanas, the values of the Islamic faith are put into practice, including humility, generosity, kindness, compassion, pluralism, search for knowledge, and service to others.