Community leaders at South Vancouver’s Punjabi Market are criticizing a proposal that would change some federal voting boundaries and split two pillars of the South Asian community into distinct areas.
New boundaries proposed by BC’s Federal Electoral Commission would move the Punjabi market to the Vancouver Arbutus Riding, while the Khalsa Diwan Society’s gurdwara, a Sikh temple, would remain in Vancouver South.
Opponents say the proposed changes would ignore decades of history and weaken the political representation of the South Asian community.
division of the community
Gulzar Nanda, chairman of the Punjabi Market Collective, which is working to revitalize the historic market district, fears new borders will divide the voting rights of the local South Asian community.
“The division of our community will only lead to a situation where our capacities will decrease,” he said.
The Punjabi Market, a three-block commercial district on Main Street between East 48th Avenue and East 51st Avenue, opened in 1970. Regarded as North America’s oldest little India — the first place on earth outside of South Asia to have Punjabi on street signs — it served as a central hub for South Asian immigrants.
While the market was declining in the early 2000s, decades earlier, the strip was awash with the scent of sandalwood, bright colors of Punjabi suits hanging from store fronts, and the strains of Indian and Pakistani music.
The Gurdwara, a Sikh organization, was also founded in 1970 and has been an important place for the community ever since.
“That kind of visibility is important for South Asians; that’s why they settled here,” Nanda said.
The needs of the residents could be overlooked
Nanda fears the needs of residents in the Punjabi Market neighborhood would be overlooked in the new ride, which would also include affluent South Granville and Shaughnessy neighborhoods.
“The demographics speak for themselves. There are differences in income levels and ethnicity,” he said.
“We want to be politically strong.”
Herb Dhaliwal, the first South Asian cabinet member to represent Vancouver South’s federal riding in the late 1990s, is also disappointed with the proposal.
“Punjabi Market is at the heart of horseback riding,” he said. “If it wasn’t part of that riding, it would take away an area that was an integral part of Vancouver South.”
Nanda says the Punjabi Market Collective is committed to Ottawa keeping the rides the way they are.
The report, which proposes changes to federal electoral boundaries, is currently under consideration in Parliament.
