Guru Nanak Gurudwara, BC. Surrey in the Red

Guru Nanak temple in the red

The new president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey says he got the bad news when he met with the outgoing president and treasurer of the Scott Road gurdwara.

Bikramjit Singh Sandhar says he was told the temple is at least $450,000 in debt and that some financial records have been accidentally destroyed.
"We were shocked, I guess," the new president told The Leader.

Sandhar and the rest of the Sikh Youth Slate officially took control of the temple on Friday, six weeks after the Nov. 16 election that saw them oust the group that controlled the second-largest gurdwara in North America (after the Ross Street Temple in Vancouver) for more than a decade.

That was when they learned about the debt, Sandhar says.

The bulk of it appears to consist of a $200,000 loan and a $150,000 line of credit.

The rest are unpaid bills.

Sandhar says the outgoing slate told them many receipts were not available because they were destroyed by a water leak in the treasurer's office.

Sandhar says the news was a surprise, because during the temple election, the incumbents insisted the temple finances were in order.
However, he is confident the temple can make up the deficit.

"We will overcome this, no problem," Sandhar said.

"There is strength in numbers."

Outgoing temple president Balwant Singh Gill was not immediately available for comment.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/sikh-sikhi-sikhism/28786-guru-nanak-gurudwara-bc-surrey-red.html

The new administration plans to overhaul and expand the community kitchen that serves free vegetarian food to any willing to respect temple rules that forbid footwear and uncovered heads.

Sandhar notes the run-down kitchen in the Surrey temple has failed food safety inspections in the past.

"It wasn't kept up to grade."

The Fraser Health Authority's online records show the temple kitchen has been repeatedly cited for unsanitary conditions, including problems with pests and unclean counters and has been given a "high" hazard rating five times since April of 2008.

Volunteers conducted a thorough clean-up Monday, but a complete rebuild is needed, Sandhar says.

"It's still pretty bad. We're taking the whole kitchen down."

The building also has leaks in a number of locations, including the treasurer's office.

An overflow crowd of supporters showed up for the leadership transition on Friday, spilling into temporary tents erected for the occasion.

The new group of directors has set up the temple's first website at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara the Facebook site that was devoted to the Sikh Youth Slate has been converted to the "Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib" page.

The newly elected board of directors has largely but not completely eliminated the use of chairs and tables in the communal dining area of the temple.

Seats and tables will be allowed for people too old or ill to sit on the floor, but otherwise people will dine sitting cross-legged on mats to show humility and keep everyone on the same level.

A fight over that issue led to a violent clash at the Guru Nanak temple in 1997 and the departure of many followers who founded a rival temple.
It also resulted in the excommunication of then-temple president Gill and five others by religious authorities in India.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786

The new incumbents have said the tables-and-chairs issue has been a distraction from more important concerns such as making the temple more relevant to young Canadian-born or raised Sikhs.

Among other things, the youth slate plans to use English in temple services and to create programs to fight drug use and criminal behaviour by young people.

 
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__________________

This made me laugh

It's the most apathetic declaration of shock I've ever heard. I guess

max314 ji

I don't know... it could be an apathetic response. Or it could be a "laid-back" reaction. Maybe he was not surprised. Figured, "What else is new?" And just decided this is more fog and we just have to put one foot in front of the other. I in a way envy that evenness of disposition. Or maybe he is just like that -- a cool, kayaking, dude.

max314,

Guru Fateh.

What I gathered from the response,("We were shocked, I guess," the new president told The Leader.) is a bit different than yours. He was talking to the newspaper Leader and did not want to ruffle any feathers or spill any beans.

Gurdwara management committees are there for their own political reasons and power. It is nothing to do with Gurmat or to help others steer towards the Gurmat way of life.

One wonders how come the second largest Gurdwara in North America has a "leaky" treasury room, no computers and scanners to keep the records of everything?

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786
How come the kitchen- the second important place after the place where diwan is held is in the poor shape?

Where did all the money go?

I hope he is brave enough to hire a professional auditing company that can dig through the old records and see how the money was siphoned by the previous management who was there for a very long time.

The new youth management of the gurdwara should understand that only by deeply cleaning the muck left behind and exposing it so that all gurdwara managements can learn and change for the better of others than anything else can sprout new lotuses in Sikhi.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786

Regards

Tejwant Singh

Dear Sir. SSAKAL JI.

The whole thing is very unusual to understand.Just be honest and trust in God.

Thanks
jaspi

More questions about temple finances


By Dan Ferguson - Surrey North Delta Leader

Published: January 06, 2010 3:00 PM
Updated: January 06, 2010 3:42 PM

The outgoing president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, Balwant Singh Gill, and his fellow board members approved gifts of $500,000 and $20,000 to two other Surrey Sikh temples the year before the Scott Road gurdawara recorded a $450,000 deficit.

The transactions are disclosed in the Guru Nanak temple's financial report filed with the Canada Revenue Agency.

During the 2008 fiscal year, Gill and the other directors of the Guru Nanak temple approved a $500,000 donation to the Cloverdale Sikh Society, which operates a temple in leased space in a shopping mall at 5748 175 St.

They also gave $20,000 to the Bear Creek Punjab Cultural Society, which holds services at the Bear Creek Community Hall at 8580 132 St.

Both societies are registered charities.

Officials of both the Cloverdale and Bear Creek societies were not immediately able to say what the money was intended for when contacted by The Leader.

It is not clear whether the donations were made before or after the incumbents slate led by Gill was defeated by the upstart Surrey Youth slate in the 2008 elections at the Scott Road temple.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786

The youth slate did not take power that year because Gill and his supporters launched a legal challenge accusing the winning slate of using improperly filled-out nomination forms.

A judge gave the two rival groups a choice between a drawn-out and expensive court fight or holding another election at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in 2009.

They opted for the election, which saw the Youth Slate repeat its win with an even larger share of the vote.

The victors said it was during the transition meeting on Friday (Jan. 1) that Gill and the departing temple treasurer revealed the gurdawara was about $450,000 in debt, the result of taking out a $200,000 loan, a $150,000 line of credit and getting behind on the bills.

They also said they were told some financial records had been accidentally destroyed by a water leak in the treasurer's office.

On Wednesday, new temple president Bikramjit Singh Sandhar said the new directors are aware of the donations, but he would not comment further until a financial review of the temple finances is completed.

In 2008, the Gill slate reported the temple had assets of $6 million and revenues of $1.5 million, including $45,000 in investment interest.

During the 2009 election, Gill said there had been extensive renovations to the temple, including the construction of new facilities and the retirement of $2 million in debt.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786
Gill has so far not responded to The Leader's requests for comment.

The Guru Nanak temple is the second-largest Sikh gurdwara in North America.


dferguson@surreyleader.com


Find this article at:
Surrey Leader - More questions about temple finances

Rattan Mall
editor@voiceonline.com
Saturday JANUARY ,09 2009


Former president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple Balwant Singh Gill told The VOICE on Friday morning that he was consulting a lawyer about suing those who were spreading the “false” rumour that the gurdwara had made a donation of $500,000 to another gurdwara in 2008.

He said the gurdwara had made a donation to Cloverdale Sikh Society for only $ 50,000.

But Gill confirmed that the gurdwara had also donated $20,000 to Bear Creek Punjab Cultural Society.

On Tuesday, when I had asked the new president of the gurdwara, Bikramjit Singh Sandhar, about an email I had just received that claimed that the attachment documents were from the Canada Revenue Agency website and that “Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Surrey donated $ 500,000.00 to Cloverdale Sikh Society and $20,000.00 to Bear Creek Punjab Cultural Society in 2008,’ he said he had no idea about it. So I forwarded it to him.

Later, a local newspaper put up that story on its website.

What I found strange was that the person who emailed that material did not provide a name or a phone number. What was the need to be afraid?

When I called Balwant Gill on Tuesday and then again on Thursday, his cellphone’s message box was full. On Thursday, I left a message on his home phone number, mentioning about the financial controversy and asking him for a response, but he didn’t get back to me. I called him again on Friday morning and this time a member of the family answered the phone and then handed it over to him.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786

Gill confirmed the financial claims by the Sikh Youth slate that took over the administration of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple on January 1 that the temple owes some $450,000 – a $200,000 loan and a $150,000 line of credit – and said that the money was mainly used to hold the gurdwara elections.

He also confirmed that many receipts were destroyed by a hot water tank leak in the treasurer`s office. He said there was a proper insurance claim for the damage to the property because of that leak and there was no secret about it.

When I had asked the gurdwara’s new president, Bikramjit Singh Sandhar, on Tuesday how he was going to deal with this financial problem, he said: “We’re still looking at what else we’re going to be finding out yet. So we are finding out from [the bank] what else is still coming towards us. Once we find out, then we’ll se how we’re going to deal with it ... to pay this off. Otherwise, we’ll see why this happened and how it happened.”


Meanwhile, the Sikh Youth’s takeover has already engendered so much enthusiasm among the Sikh youth and adults that money will not be a problem.

You can be sure that they will carry out all the necessary repairs to the gurdwara and clean up the langar that, as I had exposed back in November in an article titled “How Safe Is The Food Served At Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple Langar?”, had received three “high” hazard ratings.

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786
I am also sure that the Sikh Youth will also reach out to the mainstream community and enhance the image of Sikhs and other Indo-Canadians.

Gurfateh to you all,

We shouldn't use the name Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Red
Please. Sorry to say but I have change the Artical name as
In Surrey Sikh Temple on Scoot Road, Is in Red Alert:

The new president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey says he got the bad news when he met with the outgoing president and treasurer of the Scott Road gurdwara.

Bikramjit Singh Sandhar says he was told the temple is at least $450,000 in debt and that some financial records have been accidentally destroyed.
"We were shocked, I guess," the new president told The Leader.

Sandhar and the rest of the Sikh Youth Slate officially took control of the temple on Friday, six weeks after the Nov. 16 election that saw them oust the group that controlled the second-largest gurdwara in North America (after the Ross Street Temple in Vancouver) for more than a decade.

That was when they learned about the debt, Sandhar says.

The bulk of it appears to consist of a $200,000 loan and a $150,000 line of credit.

The rest are unpaid bills.

Sandhar says the outgoing slate told them many receipts were not available because they were destroyed by a water leak in the treasurer's office.

Sandhar says the news was a surprise, because during the temple election, the incumbents insisted the temple finances were in order.
However, he is confident the temple can make up the deficit.

"We will overcome this, no problem," Sandhar said.

"There is strength in numbers."

Outgoing temple president Balwant Singh Gill was not immediately available for comment.

The new administration plans to overhaul and expand the community kitchen that serves free vegetarian food to any willing to respect temple rules that forbid footwear and uncovered heads.

Sandhar notes the run-down kitchen in the Surrey temple has failed food safety inspections in the past.

"It wasn't kept up to grade."

The Fraser Health Authority's online records show the temple kitchen has been repeatedly cited for unsanitary conditions, including problems with pests and unclean counters and has been given a "high" hazard rating five times since April of 2008.

Volunteers conducted a thorough clean-up Monday, but a complete rebuild is needed, Sandhar says.

"It's still pretty bad. We're taking the whole kitchen down."

The building also has leaks in a number of locations, including the treasurer's office.

An overflow crowd of supporters showed up for the leadership transition on Friday, spilling into temporary tents erected for the occasion.

The new group of directors has set up the temple's first website at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara the Facebook site that was devoted to the Sikh Youth Slate has been converted to the "Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib" page.

The newly elected board of directors has largely but not completely eliminated the use of chairs and tables in the communal dining area of the temple.

Seats and tables will be allowed for people too old or ill to sit on the floor, but otherwise people will dine sitting cross-legged on mats to show humility and keep everyone on the same level.

A fight over that issue led to a violent clash at the Guru Nanak temple in 1997 and the departure of many followers who founded a rival temple.
It also resulted in the excommunication of then-temple president Gill and five others by religious authorities in India.

The new incumbents have said the tables-and-chairs issue has been a distraction from more important concerns such as making the temple more relevant to young Canadian-born or raised Sikhs.

Among other things, the youth slate plans to use English in temple services and to create programs to fight drug use and criminal behaviour by young people.[/quote]

Gurfateh,
It's not only this Sikh Temple.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786
If we ask a question to any Gurudwara Management on there financial statement, they will never show you, they will never let you see the papers if you request them
Yes you can see them on line by CCRA but with explanation, you have to verify the expense which no member will explain you
Sorry to write this but most of Gurudwara are here in Canada & USA has member-ship and you do not have any right to ask any question to then
Most of the gurudwara are controlled by family members or there supporters.
Next time when you visit the Gurudwara being a Sikh ask the question on there Financial on the Gurudwara property there expenses:

As I mention above I need help here in Ontario I know one Gurudwara I am asking them there financial report since last five year they never show, they just tell you the balance but not the expense No Verification at all
What to do next!
IS there any suggestion
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=28786
Thank you to you all
Gurfateh