Community Involvement

The Canada India Education Society (CIES) is charitable organization devoted to uplifting marginalized communities in rural Punjab. It was founded by our owner, Barj Dhahan, in 1992. Its primary work over the years has been to advance the expertise of healthcare workers and capacity at the Guru Nanak Mission Hospital and Guru Nanak College of Nursing. It has also contributed heavily to educating the poor from remote villages, especially young girls. In 2014, CIES launched the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature. The goal of the prize is to preserve and promote the Punjabi language and through it, the Punjabi culture and heritage. 

Learn more about the Canada India Education Society (CIES) here: https://www.cies.ca/ 

The Canada-India Education Society has also supported exchanges and partnerships between the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Nursing and institutions in India, including the Guru Nanak Dev University, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and the Guru Nanak College of Nursing. 

In 2019, our owner, Barj Dhahan, received a Centenary Medal of Distinction from the UBC School of Nursing, largely thanks to his work to improve nursing education between Canada and India. 

Learn more about the UBC School of Nursing here: https://nursing.ubc.ca/ 

Learn more about Mr. Dhahan’s Centenary Medal of Distinction award here: https://nursing-alumni.sites.olt.ubc.ca/100awardees/centenary-medal-barj-dhahan/ 

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is the province’s largest university. It is where many students from across Canada, and from abroad, get a post-secondary degree, which becomes the launching pad to their success in life. However, it is a sad fact that many Indigenous students in Canada do not make it to post-secondary schools, in part because of a lack of finances and other barriers. 

In 2016, our owner, Barj Dhahan, leveraged his connections to help create a $400,000 Centennial Scholarship fund geared specifically to Indigenous students at UBC. Its title is the “Honoring the Truth, Centennial Scholars Major Entrance Award for Aboriginal Students.” 

Learn more about the scholarship fund here: https://indigenous.ubc.ca/2016/10/26/ubc-alumnus-creates-new-award-for-aboriginal-students/ 

IC-IMPACTS is a non-profit organization operating out of UBC. It aims to create scientific collaborations between India and Canada – the type that can positively impact living conditions for the less advantaged in those regions. By bringing together industry leaders, government bodies, researchers and other community members, it focuses on improving quality of life in the areas of integrated water management, safe and sustainable infrastructure, public health, and food security. 

Our owner, Barj Dhahan, was a founding collaborator and board member of IC-IMPACTS, and serves as its national chair. 

Learn more about IC-IMPACTS here: https://ic-impacts.com/ 

The India Advisory Council (IAC) aims to bring together academic, business, government and community leaders who can advise on how to best engage with India and the local, South Asian diaspora. Their efforts serve the interest of increasing student enrollment and mobility. 

Our owner, Barj Dhahan, is an active member on the India Advisory Council (IAC). 

Learn more about the India Advisory Council (IAC) here: https://www.sfu.ca/sfu-community/international-engagement/sfu-india-initiative/india-advisory-council.html 

Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) is a faith-based, charitable organization devoted to eliminating poverty through agri-business development. It does this particularly among disadvantaged communities around the world. It works towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by creating long-term jobs and improving farm and market conditions, so that quality of life can thus be improved. 

Learn more about Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) here: https://www.meda.org/ 

The Khalsa Diwan Society is a faith-based organization that advocates for the social and economic needs, as well as the human rights, of Indo-Canadian Sikhs in British Columbia. It offers Punjabi language classes for those in Canada, as well as settlement help for new Indian immigrants (so they can enter the job market). The society also built a Gurdwara Sahib on Ross Street in Vancouver in 1970 (its second building). The temple houses the Komagata Maru museum (showcasing the immigrant journey to Canada), hosts yoga and kids’ sports classes, helps seniors fill out government forms, participates in community policing and more. 

Learn more about the Khalsa Diwan Society (KDS) in Vancouver here: http://kdsross.com/ 

School District 42 oversees elementary and high school education in the Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows regions. Sandhurst Group supports the district with bursary awards to students who demonstrate financial need. 

Learn more about School District 42 here: https://www.sd42.ca/ 

The Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) is a faith-based non-profit operating as a branch of the wider, Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). The AKDN is an international organization working to improve societies through agricultural development, education access, job training, health services, humanitarian aid, building rehabilitation and more. It runs a myriad of programs with varying initiatives around the world. Its goals encompass gender equality and economic advancement for individuals. Every year, in Canada, the organization hosts a World Partnership Walk as a fundraiser. Sandhurst Group regularly donates to this cause. 

Learn more about the World Partnership Walk here: https://www.worldpartnershipwalk.com/  

Learn more about the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC) here: https://www.akfc.ca/  

Learn more about the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) here: https://www.akdn.org/ 

Education without Borders (EWB) is a non-profit organization that provides educational help to inadequately supported schools in Black communities in South Africa. These are communities where many students struggle to graduate, crime is rampant and unemployment is shockingly high (at approximately 60%). 

Learn more about Education without Borders (EWB) here: https://www.educationwithoutborders.ca/ 

Royal Roads University is a ‘jewel in the crown’ of B.C.’s public institutions. It provides education, training, and leadership development to its students. It helps people in their mid-careers grow leadership skills and to impact the organizations they serve in various capacities. 

Sandhurst Group, through our owner, Barj Dhahan, has endowed a scholarship fund to the University which is aimed at supporting single parents, particularly those of Indigenous or marginalized groups. The scholarship is named after Mr. Dhahan’s parents and is called the Budh Singh and Kashmir Kaur Dhahan Award. Each year, two students receive $5,000 each from the fund to support their studies. 

Learn more about the scholarship here: https://www.royalroads.ca/budh-singh-and-kashmir-kaur-dhahan-award 

Mr. Dhahan is also a former board member of Royal Roads University and was recognized for his work with a Chancellor’s Community Recognition Award, in 2018. 

Learn more about Mr. Dhahan and the award here: https://www.royalroads.ca/barjinder-singh-dhahan 

The Canada-India Centre for Excellence (CICE) was founded in 2010 at Carleton University, in collaboration with the High Commission of India, and Indo-Canadian community leaders. It aims to provide skills training and entrepreneurship opportunities for Canadians and Indians. It does this through professional development programs and their Canada-India Acceleration Program (CIAP). CIAP helps Canadian women grow their businesses in India through education, investor opportunities, mentorship and more. It is funded by the Government of Canada and supported by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in India. 

Each year, CICE hosts the Dhahan Lecture, where thought leaders engage audiences on topics relating to educational and social collaborations and topics of importance to Canada and India. The Dhahan Lecture is named after Mr. Budh Singh Dhahan and Mrs. Kashmir Kaur Dhahan, the parents of our owner, Barj Dhahan. 

Mr. Dhahan, was a founding collaborator and donor of the Canada-India Centre for Excellence (CICE). 

Learn more about the Canada-India Centre for Excellence (CICE) here: https://carleton.ca/india/ 

Each year, Sandhurst Group hosts a one-day fundraiser at its Tim Hortons locations in conjunction with Tim Hortons Camp Day, whereby it donates all its hot beverage earnings, as well as other revenues generated from special activities held the same day. Funds raised go to the Tim Hortons Foundation Camps. Our company also sends local youth living near our restaurants to Camp, as recommended by community members.  

The Adopt-a-School project identifies schools where students have personal needs that the government does not provide funding for. For example, hot breakfasts for those who come to school hungry. Or warm jackets for youth who didn’t finish high school in time, and are now in an alternate program to do so. Sandhurst Group has been committed to this project since 2014 through various involvements. Sandhurst Group and its founder Barj Dhahan have provided significant funding to some of the schools in the province via the Adopt-a-School program.  

Learn more about the Adopt-a-School program here: https://vansunkidsfund.ca/ 

In 1991 we launched our first bursary program for high school graduates. We have since granted bursaries to students from the following schools: North Surrey Secondary School, Garibaldi Secondary School, Thomas Haney Secondary School, and Elgin Park Secondary School. We have continued with our bursary programs throughout the years, and currently award one student from Thomas Haney Secondary School and one student from Garibaldi Secondary School with a bursary each year. Students that demonstrate financial need, academic achievement, plans to attend post-secondary education, and volunteer or community involvement are eligible to apply.

Bursary Recipients

2015 – Ashley Desautels from Garibaldi; Erhardt Jansen van Rensburg from Thomas Haney

2014 – Diane Bowlby from Garibaldi; Miranda Tymoschuk from Thomas Haney

2013 – Mackenzie Baker from Garibaldi; Kaitlyn Clack from Thomas Haney

2012 – Bryce Labelle from Garibaldi; Joanna Bragiel from Thomas Haney

2011 – Cassidy Nendick from Garibaldi; Daniel Molendijk from Thomas Haney

2010 – Alexander Cattle-Lepine from Garibaldi; Jessica Letts from Thomas Haney

2009 – Katrina Huberman from Garibaldi; Jill Irving from Thomas Haney

2008 – Jennifer Morrice from Garibaldi; Cassandra Tracy from Thomas Haney

2007 – Jennifer Klimchuk from Garibaldi; Kimberly Dick from Thomas Haney

2006 – Jessica Kappel from Garibaldi; Julie Parfitt from Thomas Haney

2005 – Ashley Henis from Garibaldi;  Stacie Axton from Thomas Haney