This week’s Letter from the Mayor is a guest article by Councillor Sav Dhaliwal, who has served on Burnaby City Council since 2002 and represented the city at Metro Vancouver for 15 years, including four terms as Board Chair, as well as serving as president of the Union of BC Municipalities.
When I first ran for Burnaby City Council, becoming its first Punjabi Indo-Canadian councillor was not what motivated me. It had never occurred to me to run because I was Punjabi, and I certainly did not see myself as a candidate for my own community. I wanted to serve the whole city, just as every councillor should.
It was only after I was elected that I fully understood the importance of what it meant to everyone in the community, to me and to our city.
People should be able to see themselves in the institutions that make decisions about their lives. Seeing someone at the council table who shares their background and understands where they are coming from gives them a sense that they belong there and that, if they want to, they could one day take on that kind of role themselves.
I remember being taken aback by the number of calls I received from people congratulating me and telling me what this meant to them. Then as time went on others felt more comfortable picking up the phone when they had a question or concern.
It was not because they could not speak English, most Indo-Canadians speak very good English, it was because they knew I would understand the cultural and community context behind what they were trying to explain.
And there is a great importance in being heard, and having somebody understand the full meaning of what you are saying, and then to have that message carried properly into the council chamber to be discussed.
Representation can also be seen in smaller moments. When I offer greetings in Punjabi at an event, it tells people that their language and culture are part of Burnaby. The same is true when another councillor can make that connection with another community.
I am proud that council now reflects our city much better than when I first joined it. Pietro Calendino, who was born in Calabria, brought the experience and culture of Burnaby’s Italian Canadian community to the table. Maita Santiago, who was born in the Philippines, represents a Filipino Canadian community that has become an important part of Burnaby. James Wang, who came to Canada from Mainland China, has worked to build bridges between Burnaby’s Chinese community and the wider city.
Those are only three examples, but they demonstrate why different experiences around the table matter. Everyone elected to council must represent all of Burnaby, but each person also brings knowledge that helps the council understand the city more completely.
That progress must continue. Burnaby is one of Canada’s most diverse cities and one of the few without a majority ethnic group. More than half of our residents were born outside Canada. Burnaby’s Indo-Canadian community has become larger, more established and much more visible in public life since I first sought election in the 1990s. By the 2021 census, 15,000 Burnaby residents reported Indian ethnic or cultural origins.
But the change is about much more than a number. You can see it in our businesses, community organizations, cultural celebrations and places of worship, and in the growing contribution Indo-Canadians are making to public life.
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The Hindu Temple on Marine Drive was established in 1972 and grew from a small prayer hall in North Burnaby into a 31,000-square-foot temple that opened in 2018. It is now one of Canada’s largest and oldest Hindu temples and provides religious services, language and spiritual education, wellness programs and support for seniors. You can also see that growth in the redevelopment of the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha gurdwara on Gilley Avenue, an important place of worship and gathering for Burnaby’s vibrant Sikh community.
These changes within the Indo-Canadian community are one part of the much larger story of how Burnaby has changed as a city.
As I prepare to leave council this month after nearly 24 years, and after many more years serving the community, including as president of the Burnaby Minor Hockey Association and on the Parks and Recreation Commission, my greatest hope is that Burnaby continues to celebrate its diversity as one of its greatest strengths.
We must all continue working together, from council and City Hall to the many cultural and community organizations across Burnaby, always putting the interests of the whole city first.
Burnaby has changed enormously over these years. We now have four busy town centres in Metrotown, Brentwood, Lougheed and Edmonds, along with the financial stability needed to continue investing in our city and planning confidently for its future.
There are opportunities for continued growth, but it must be focused around those town centres and areas supported by the services, infrastructure and amenities that growing communities need.
For example, I would like to see us pursue an SFU campus or another major post-secondary presence in Edmonds, bringing education and opportunity closer to that growing community. In Metrotown, there is an opportunity to completely rethink Central Boulevard and turn it into a more walkable destination and a real hub for the community.
The last two terms have been the most rewarding of my time on council. I was trusted by Mayor Hurley with leadership on important committees and given the opportunity to bring forward ideas, work closely with staff and help make real change in Burnaby. I hope that approach continues, because giving elected councillors the opportunity to contribute is how you get the best from the whole council.
I wish the next council every success. Burnaby is in a very strong position, and I hope it continues to build on that in the years ahead.
As I sign off, I want to thank everyone I have worked with over the years, including my family, my council colleagues, City staff, community organizations and volunteers. Most of all, I want to thank the residents who trusted me to represent them, picked up the phone to share their concerns and allowed me to play a part in the life of this great city we call home.
PODCAST: Serving Burnaby for over four decades, from the classroom to City Hall—with Councillor Pietro Calendino
