Sikh community in Timmins hosts first Annual Khalsa Day Parade
With hundreds of students from India who attend Northern College, and other professionals from India who've moved to the city to work, organizers said they felt it was time to bring everyone together to celebrate their culture with the rest of the community.
“We celebrate the birth of Khalsa, our Sikh way of life. This is the day we become Sikh back in 1699," said Kanwaljit Bains, director of Sikh Sangat of Timmins.
Sikh Sangat of Timmins established its Gurdwara in December, and on Saturday the first Annual Khalsa Day Parade wound its way throughout the core of Timmins.
The community was invited to immerse itself in a Punjabi festival, the first of its kind for Timmins and all of northern Ontario.
“I just keep thinking after the long dark days of COVID, to see all this joy in the streets of Timmins. This is a historic moment and my prediction is: year after year, this is going to get bigger and bigger and draw more and more people. This is a great moment for our city," said Charlie Angus, NDP MP Timmins-James Bay.
The parade route included parts of the downtown, by Hollinger Park, up Algonquin Boulevard and back to the Gurdwara. Along the way, there were moments to stop for refreshments such as water and fruit.
"All cultures together, absolutely amazing history and food and absolutely gorgeous costumes. We need to have this variety here," said Lilianna Staniz, who came to partake in the event.
Complimentary vegetarian Indian food was available including samosas, mango lassis and fruit with spices
“Masala gives a different flavour to the fruits, so apart from the regular tasting food you get an enhanced taste," explained Navdeep Singh, one of the members serving food.
Part of Sikh culture is to be welcoming and giving; to perform community service and selflessly help others.
'Jazzy B', a Bhangra Punjabi singer and songwriter from Vancouver is also in town to perform.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.