Sikh flag raised at city hall in Sudbury

Dignitaries and representatives of Sudbury's 2,000-strong Sikh community gather for a formal ceremony Monday at city hall.

April is Sikh Heritage Month and in Sudbury on Monday morning, there was a flag-raising and proclamation.

It was an opportunity to recognize the month, celebrate and learn about the culture and the diversity it brings to the community.

“First off, Greater Sudbury is a very welcoming city and we are very happy that the Sikh community has chosen Sudbury to be part of our community,” said deputy mayor Joscelyne Landry-Altmann.

“We certainly learn a lot from the different cultures.”

To start the ceremony, there were Sikh hymns and a representative talked about Sikh values.

‘Sikh values are pure Canadian values, whether it is multiculturalism equality, standing up for justice and sharing the good deeds among the community," said Karandir Badhesha, a member of Sudbury’s Sikh community.

Members of the Greater Sudbury Police Service were also at the proclamation, including Sikh officers on the force.

“The Greater Sudbury Police Service strives to ensure diversity amongst the service so that we are better representing our community,” said Insp. Robert Norman.

“Sikhism is very much a religion about guardianship, so it is very important that we are here today representing that section of the community that has a close tie to what we do every day.”

Local MPPs were on hand to celebrate the diversity and contributions the population of more than 2,000 Sikhs brings to Greater Sudbury.

“I think that what you see a lot with the Sikh community is the importance of giving back,” said Sudbury MPP.

“People who may not know about the religion and culture don’t understand how important it is for them to contribute and give back to the community.”

Members of the Sikh community said the principle of Sikh values is to recognize the whole human race as one.