Langar at Kelowna Sikh Temple…
Committed to Building A Better Community Together.
Amarjit Singh Lalli was born September.6th, 1968 and moved to Kelowna from India in 1975. Though his first 4 years were filled with challenges due to adapting to a new country and many moves, he is now a grateful family man, successful entrepreneur, as well as a highly respected individual member of the community.
At age 13 Amarjit started working at Stewart Brother Nurseries during his summer vacations, an early sign of his hard work ethic. In June of 1987, he graduated from Springvalley Secondary School with great pride. Life had taken a drastic change for Amarjit and his family as just the day after he graduated, his father passed away due to an unfortunate farming accident. After the shocking news, he became the head of the household and had to take on many new responsibilities and jobs trying to support his family. He showed great persistence and did not give up on his vision to further his dream of continuing his studies and growth.
While supporting his family, going to school, working endless hours, he managed to graduate from college with a diploma in Business Administration. Amarjit continued working multiple jobs for years, knowing he would reach his goals through the process. He worked for companies such as Canadian Tire, Wester Star and Tolko Industries. In April of 1997, Amarjit married his wonderful wife, Baljit and have been together for 21 years. Having a passion for farming, they purchased a 20-acre apple orchard in 2003. The following year they built on their entrepreneurship by purchasing a subway franchise in the Lakeland Plaza. Having great success in the first franchise, they expanded into a second location by the downtown bus loop in Kelowna. To this day, they actively and proudly participate and run both restaurants alongside their orchard and taxi ventures. Amarjit and Baljit have 2 children; their 17 year old daughter, Prabhleen and their 20 year old son, Balmehar. Amarjit has been an active and loving community member for over 23 years. Committed to Building a Better Community Together.
A city is not gauged by its length and width, but by the broadness of its vision and the height of its dreams.
There is a shared concern of what has become of our downtown core. As a business owner, we have seen daily the used needles, verbal abuse, threats, property damage and drug users passed out in the lobby. City Council has put a great deal of stock into the Journey Home Strategy to resolve the issues of the downtown core, but the strategy has not dealt with the main findings of the report. We are simply remedying the symptoms and not attacking the disease. The report identifies and indicates that the greatest advantage that will be seen is with the reduction of city services being used by those with mental health issues and addictions. It also shows that users of affordable housing do stay longer. The solution lies in empowering these individuals to overcome their addictions and stand back up on their two feet as contributing members of society. Their plight is largely due to a product of circumstances and it is our responsibility to make sure they aren’t forgotten. We require rehabilitation centers and transitional housing to firmly plant these individuals back into our community. All providers need to have a standardized level of care for them. Being on the verge of homelessness is also a prominent issue within this report and these families require support and counselling to prevent furthers going down this path. This cannot be implemented without collaboration from all levels of government and taxpayers. A society can only be considered successful when no one is left behind, and no one is fearing for their safety.
Most people aren’t aware that the identity and responsibilities of a farmer have shifted greatly over the last several years. With changing circumstances, we need to make sure policies and procedures are staying current with these changes. Some of the growing concerns that surround the agricultural community are:
The taxi industry is surrounded by many regulations that can hinder the progress of the industry. Passenger directed vehicles are known as taxis or ride hailing companies and a better understanding is needed as the industry needs to stay relevant by adopting and implementing new technologies. Within these changing circumstances there needs to be equity available in the industry. The regulations are put into place, to protect the traveling public and everyone that uses our roadways. Competition is needed in every industry, but it needs to be fair for all those involved, as everyone needs to play by the rules.
The speculation tax puts our city at a competitive disadvantage. It was brought in to increase housing affordability and free up empty homes. The reality is the exact opposite. Supply is not increasing, and prices have not decreased. The implementation of the tax was a knee jerk reaction by the government. Bringing in this type of legislation must be accompanied by benchmarks to measure the effectiveness of the policy. The tax should be scrapped.
Currently Serving as a Director on the following boards.
Responsible for addressing spiritual care needs for staff, families and patients visiting or staying at Kelowna General Hospital.
Owned by the BC Fruit Growers Association
Identifies and commercializes new fruit varieties
Protects intellectual property rights.
Mitigates the threat of codling moth to our local pome fruit industry
Area wide program that has buy in from all levels of government,
pome fruit industry and the tax payer
The Society owns and operates the Gurdwara on Rutland Rd
Addresses the spiritual and community needs of the followers of the Sikh faith.
Responsible for all local promotional activities.
The major supplier of implements for the
agriculture sector created in 1937
Packs and markets fruit received from its 430 growers
has been apart of the valley since 1936
Makes award winning cider with 100% BC fruit
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Head Office
1900 McKenzie Rd
Kelowna, BC V1P 1A6
Phone
+1 250 869-6122