Paldi is a former South Asian settlement and

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe Italy * ''Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World Her ...

near

Duncan Duncan may refer to: People * Duncan (given name), various people * Duncan (surname), various people * Clan Duncan * Justice Duncan (disambiguation) Places * Duncan Creek (disambiguation) * Duncan River (disambiguation) * Duncan Lake (d ...

, on

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. It is significant as a town founded by

Sikh Canadians Canadian Sikhs number nearly 800,000 people and account for 2.1% of Canada's population as of 2021, forming the country's fourth-largest and fastest-growing religious group. The largest Sikh populations in Canada are found in Ontario, followed ...

, and its early exemplification of

multiculturalism The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...

.Ames, and Inglis, �
Conflict and Change in British Columbia Sikh Family Life
” p. 22.

History

The town was founded in 1916 by Mayo Singh Minhas, his brother Ganea Singh Minhas and their cousin Doman Singh - three Sikh businessmen from

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

.Nayar, ''

The Punjabis in British Columbia ''The Punjabis in British Columbia: Location, Labour, First Nations, and Multiculturalism'' is a 2012 book by Kamala Elizabeth Nayar, published by the McGill-Queen’s University Press (MQUP). The book discusses Punjabi immigrants to northern Bri ...

'', p
292
The town was originally named Mayo, but was required to change its name in 1936 due to confusion caused at the post office with

Mayo, Yukon Mayo is a village in Yukon, Canada, along the Silver Trail and the Stewart River. It had a population of 200 in 2016. The Yukon Bureau of Statistics estimated a population of 496 in 2019. It is also the home of the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Du ...

. The name was changed to Paldi, which was the name of the town in

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a Municipal corporations in India, municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the ...

, Punjab that Doman, Ganea and Mayo had migrated from. The town's most well-known founder, Mayo, was born Mayan Singh Manhas in 1888. He believed that having a name that would be easier for Anglo Canadians to pronounce would benefit his business prospects, so he began going by "Mayo". By 1919, a

Gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

was established in the community, and shortly after a school was constructed. The Gurdwara was later re-built, and has undergone subsequent renovations and updates in the decades since. The Japanese community of Paldi built a hall which was used as a Buddhist temple and a meeting place. The wooden building was constructed next to the Gurdwara in 1923. Several forms of Buddhism were practiced by the Japanese families that used the hall. Meetings, celebrations, and occasionally United Church services also took place within its walls. Paldi BC Class

The Paldi post office first opened on June 1, 1936. It was closed in 1954, only to be opened again in 1959. Finally on June 30, 1969, the post office closed permanently due to a dwindling population. The school also closed in 1969, and the remaining children were bussed to nearby Lake Cowichan. At its peak, Paldi had a population of over 1,500 people. The settlement was a mixing pot where East Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and European cultures were celebrated. India's first Prime Minister,

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

visited Paldi on a trip to British Columbia in November 1949. He was accompanied by his daughter, Indira Gandhi, who also later became prime minister. The visit was in part due to Mayo Singh gaining a far reaching reputation of making large charitable donations to both Canadian and Indian organizations. Herb, Ted, and Gordon Singh, sons of Doman Singh, went on to found the Doman Lumber Company, which became Doman Industries. The company, based in nearby Duncan, continued to grow and operated for decades on Vancouver Island.

Present day

Most of the original families left for better job prospects in the surrounding

Cowichan Valley The Cowichan Valley is a region around the Cowichan River, Cowichan Bay and Cowichan Lake on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. There is some debate as to the origin of the name Cowichan, which many believe to be an anglicized form ...

, as well as the

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

area. By 1975, the European and East Asian families had all left the area. The last few South Asian families remained in Paldi until about 1980, leaving behind the Gurdwara and about 15 houses. The remainder of the homes were razed in 2005, leaving just the Gurdwara standing. Gurdwaras were built in neighbouring communities of

Lake Cowichan Lake Cowichan (Nitinaht: ʕaʔk̓ʷaq c̓uubaʕsaʔtx̣) (pop. 2,974) is a town located on the east end of Cowichan Lake and, by highway, is west of Duncan, British Columbia. The town of Lake Cowichan was incorporated in 1944. The Cowichan Ri ...

in 1969, and Duncan in 1985 - decreasing attendance at the Paldi temple. Two books have been written on the history of the former community. Joan Mayo, daughter-in-law of Mayo Singh, wrote ''Paldi Remembered'' in 1997. The book is a collection of stories and pictures that gives tribute to the once bustling lumber mill town. In 2002, Archana B. Verma wrote ''The Making of Little Punjab in Canada'', a study of the Sikhs living in Paldi. The Paldi Gurdwara was brought to national attention in 2012, after it was under a court-ordered sale order for developers to build over the former Paldi town site. The construction plans were opposed by the Sikh community who advocated for the temple to be given protected status In order to protect the site from development, the Paldi Gurdwara was designated a Historic Site by the

Cowichan Valley Regional District The Cowichan Valley Regional District is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia is on the southern part of Vancouver Island, bordered by the Nanaimo and Alberni-Clayoquot Regional Districts to the north and northwest, ...

in 2014. In 2016, the government of British Columbia also designated the temple as a site of cultural importance due to the advocacy efforts of former Attorney General,

Wally Oppal Wallace Taroo "Wally" Oppal, (born 1940) is a Canadian lawyer, former judge and provincial politician. Between 2005 and 2009, he served as British Columbia's Attorney General and Minister responsible for Multiculturalism, as well as Member of ...

. The Cowichan Valley Trail, part of the

Trans Canada Trail The Trans Canada Trail, officially named The Great Trail between September 2016 and June 2021, is a cross-Canada system of greenways, waterways, and roadways that stretches from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Pacific to the A ...

was completed in 2017. The trail goes through Paldi on the route of a former railway.

References

* Some content originates from

History

Present day

See also

References

Further reading