He was honored with the Order of British Columbia in 1990 in its inaugural year, alongside luminaries such as musician Bryan Adams, Olympic medalist gymnast Lori Fung and businessman Jim Pattison
Our Bureau
New Westminster city
Gurdev Singh Gill, who made history in 1958 as the first Indo-Canadian to practice medicine, passed away at the age of 92 in Canada’s New Westminster city.
Gill moved to Canada from India in 1949 at a time when there were only about 2,000 South Asians in the country. “He was the first Indo-Canadian to graduate with a medical degree from the University of British Columbia and the first Indo-Canadian to practice medicine in Canada,” according to the British Columbia government.
On December 24, community members gathered at a gurdwara in Vancouver to pay respects to Gill who died on December 17. Gill went on to become President of Vancouver’s Khalsa Diwan Society, following which he oversaw the building of a new gurdwara in South Vancouver at a time when few existed for local Sikhs.
“His medical practice was more than a medical practice. It was a community hall where new immigrants came for guidance and advice,” said his grandson. “Being on stage with all those other wonderful Canadians. He was so proud of that recognition,” his grandson, Imran Gill, further said, that his grandfather lived “a very selfless life”.
He was an active staff member of St. Mary’s, the Royal Columbian and Queen’s Park hospitals, and was active in fundraising for the Cancer Society, Rotary Club, and the Children’s Hospital. He was honored with the Order of British Columbia in 1990 in its inaugural year, alongside luminaries such as musician Bryan Adams, Olympic medalist gymnast Lori Fung and businessman Jim Pattison.
He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Gill was devoted to “uplifting others” not just in Canada but building sanitation infrastructure in Punjabi villages, including the one he left in 1949, Imran said.
“His medical practice was more than medical practice. It was a community hall where new immigrants came for guidance and advice,” he added.
Gill went on to become President of Vancouver’s Khalsa Diwan Society, following which he oversaw the building of a new gurdwara in South Vancouver at a time when few existed for local Sikhs.
He retired after 40 years of practice in New Westminster and went on to help 25 villages in Punjab with infrastructure and educational improvements through the Indo-Canadian Friendship Society, which was founded by him.
