Close X
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
ADVT 
National

Rental of B.C. school for Sikh referendum vote is cancelled by district

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Sep, 2023 12:52 PM
  • Rental of B.C. school for Sikh referendum vote is cancelled by district

Organizers of a Sikh community referendum on Punjabi independence say they've received a "slap in the face" from a British Columbia school district that cancelled their rental of a school to host voting this weekend.

The Surrey School District says in a statement that it cancelled the rental of Tamanawis Secondary School for the Sept. 10 referendum because promotional posters featured a picture of the school alongside what it called "images of a weapon."

Posters for the vote on a homeland that supporters call Khalistan have included images of a pen being used to stab a gun.

The district says the decision is neither an endorsement nor a criticism of any political position, and the Sikhs For Justice group will be refunded for the cancellation.

Sikhs For Justice volunteer Inderjeet Singh says the group was not notified of the cancellation until Sunday, a week ahead of the event.

He says the vote will now be held at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara where temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who supported the independence movement, was shot dead in June.

Singh says the Sikh community is still grieving Nijjar's death and frustrated with the lack of progress in the police investigation, and the vote cancellation has "aggravated" people.

“It kind of was a slap in the face, almost you can say, to the community — especially after the death,” he says. “You would think (the district) would actually try to work with us and in a way help us get through this tough time, but it’s actually added fuel to the fire."

Singh says talks with the school district are ongoing and the organizers may take legal action as they believe their charter right to freedom of expression was violated by the cancellation decision.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Weather delivers modest respite for wildfire starts in B.C.

Weather delivers modest respite for wildfire starts in B.C.
Fire and emergency management officials are set to provide an update on the state of wildfires around British Columbia, as recent rains have offered some reprieve but several blazes still threaten communities. The BC Wildfire Service is reporting 412 active wildfires, down by about 70 since Monday.

Weather delivers modest respite for wildfire starts in B.C.

Former senator, MP and journalist Pat Carney is dead at the age of 88

Former senator, MP and journalist Pat Carney is dead at the age of 88
Pat Carney, who pioneered roles for women in Canadian politics and journalism, has died at the age of 88. Her niece, Jill Carney, confirmed in a statement that the former MP and senator passed away Tuesday.   

Former senator, MP and journalist Pat Carney is dead at the age of 88

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk
A Vancouver Island woman has been sentenced to 18 months of probation for coughing in the face of a grocery store clerk on purpose in the earliest days of the pandemic. The woman was found guilty in April of assaulting the employee and causing a disturbance at the Save-On-Foods in Campbell River in April 2020.

Vancouver Island woman sentenced for coughing in face of a grocery store clerk

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate
Police are investigating after a body was discovered in Oak Bay. A section of Beach Drive was closed from Monterey Avenue to King George Terrace this morning after the discovery.

Body found in Oak Bay, police investigate

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs
With this grant, IEC-BC will provide extended mentorship to under-employed and unemployed immigrants that will help them understand and adapt their skills and experience to the Canadian labour market. This grant will benefit newcomers and businesses across the province.

Funding helps people new to B.C. find in-demand jobs

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness
An employee at a mall in Langley says she heard a giant boom, the ground shook and she thought they were experiencing an earthquake. Instead, RCMP say a welding truck in the mall’s parking lot had exploded in flames.  

Truck explosion in Langley felt like an earthquake: witness