Sikh

Wherever they settle, the Sikhs’ first communal activity is to build a gurdwara (house of the Guru). Since founding their first gurdwara on Eglinton Avenue West in the 1960s, a familiar Toronto scene is Sikh followers entering one of the city’s many temples. Uncut hair and beards and protective turbans are symbols of their religious identity.
Sikhs are the disciples of a world religion that arose from the teachings of Guru Nanak (1469–1538) in Punjab, India. The first Sikh temple in Canada was established in Goldney, British Columbia, in 1908. Other Sikhs came to Canada in 1902 as part of a Hong Kong military contingent travelling to the coronation of Edward VII; they later returned and settled along the west coast of British Columbia.
One of the first Sikhs in Ontario was Jamait Singh Gill, who arrived from British Columbia in 1938. Until the late 1950s there were only about 10 sikh families living in Toronto. Sikhs began arriving in large numbers from the late 1950s to the 1970s, mainly via Great Britain and former British Indian trading colonies in Africa, such as Uganda.
A few of the Toronto community’s founders were Dr. Biant Singh, Dr. Jarnail Singh, and Dr. R.S. Khanna, who established the city’s first Sikh temple in 1968 in a rented hall on Eglinton Avenue West. Businesses that opened in the 1960s included Gill’s Grocery Store and the Sher-E-Punjab on Danforth Avenue, Toronto’s oldest Sikh restaurant.
The early 1970s saw the first major influx of Sikhs to Toronto; many found jobs as labourers, taxi drivers, real-estate agents, and insurance salesmen, or started businesses such as grocery stores and restaurants. The major concentration of Sikh businesses was the Indian Bazaar in the Pape Avenue and Gerrard Street area.
There are now approximately 80,000 Sikhs living in and around Toronto. Early newcomers were often farmers and ex-soldiers, but the more recent settlers are from the professional classes and include engineers, doctors, and teachers.
Sikhs have contributed to Toronto’s cultural life with art exhibits and Indian classical music. The first Sikh Conference was held in 1979, and a heritage conference in 1981 featured an exhibition of lithographs and pictures depicting the history of the Sikhs. Sikh athletes are among the members of Canada’s national field hockey team.