THE Indo-Canadian Friendship Society of British Columbia [I.C.F.S.B.C.] mourns the loss of our Founder and Honorary Chairman: New Westminster resident Gurdev Singh Gill, M.D., D.Sc. (Hons.), O.B.C. Dr. Gill passed away on Sunday, December 17, 2023, age 92, while in India for the winter at his Chandigarh home.

Gurdev Gill was the first Indo-Canadian to graduate from UBC’s medical school (1957), and became the first from his ethnicity to receive the Order of B.C. (1990) – in recognition of decades of iconic leadership across his heritage community. In 1974 he embarked on a philanthropic quest to better the lives and health of rural Punjabis by founding the I.C.F.S.B.C. (www.icfsbc.com).

A Canadian NGO, for decades we have been dedicated in Canada to encouraging cordial relations between the Indian diaspora and the mainstream. Thanks to the inspiration and hard work of Dr. Gill especially since his retirement in 1996, our mandate in India has reflected an enduring commitment to village improvement with special reference to water and sewage infrastructure.

To date Dr. Gill oversaw the completion of 27 village projects transforming living conditions for more than 100,000 people. His legacy will endure for generations to come because Gurdev Gill successfully started a movement that changed thinking regarding village sanitation. Others now emulate his steadfast rural development approach, designed to improve health and wellbeing while delivering dignity, pride, and empowerment on the ground in villages of Punjab and Haryana States.

Further Information:

I.C.F.S.B.C. President Hon. Herb Dhaliwal

604-230-7956 / herbdhaliwal12@gmail.com