A local Sikh Punjabi group is calling on Milton council to support its efforts to establish a permanent place of prayer to serve the growing community.
Sandeep Sambhi, representing Gurdwara Singh Sabha Milton, addressed council last week during discussion on the Town’s official plan update.
“Right now, we're renting facilities at the fairgrounds to hold our services once a month, but with rising costs and increasing attendance, it's making it challenging to sustain these gatherings now,” Sambhi said at the Dec. 9 meeting, detailing the group’s current struggles.
He noted that as awareness of the services grows, along with Milton’s expanding Sikh population, the group is quickly outgrowing its temporary space. The goal is to build a permanent Gurdwara that will serve not only as a spiritual centre, but also as a hub for cultural and community activities.
“We respectfully ask council to consider the growing needs of our community when future lands are zoned as places of worship," he said. "Additionally, we kindly request to be kept informed and included in the planning and development processes for new neighbourhoods, so that we can actively participate in these discussions and work collaboratively to fulfill our community's needs on behalf of myself and our group."
Coun. Sameera Ali asked staff about the Town’s plans for addressing places of worship in the planning process. In response, Jill Hogan, commissioner of development services, explained what the policy would be in new growth areas, such as the Britannia Secondary Plan, which is set to come before council next month.
The secondary plan — which builds on the official plan with more detailed policies — would require developers or landowners to reserve one-acre plots of land for up to three years specifically for places of worship.
“The Town of Milton will be contacting all of the faith groups on our stakeholder list and informing them of pieces of land that are available and that are zoned for places of worship,” Hogan said.
She acknowledged that securing available land has been a major challenge for faith groups, as much of it has been acquired by developers years in advance. The proposed policy aims to help them secure suitable sites.
“By putting in these site reservation policies, it will give the faith groups at least an opportunity to purchase land and realize a new place of worship,” she said.