Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill, Canada's 1st Indo-Canadian physician, dead at 92 - CTV News Vancouver | Canada News Media
Connect with us

News

Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill, Canada's 1st Indo-Canadian physician, dead at 92 – CTV News Vancouver

Published

 on


Dr. Gurdev Singh Gill, the first Canadian born in India to become a doctor in Canada, has died.

In a statement announcing his death, Gill’s family described the father of four as “a special person whose impact on the lives of people in both Canada and India goes far beyond what anyone can read or see.”

Born in the village of Kharoudi in 1931, Gill came to North America by boat in 1949, first meeting with his grandfather in southern California before taking a train to Seattle and a ferry to Vancouver Island, where his father Dilbag was living.

Gill became a Canadian citizen in 1954 and graduated from UBC in 1956, settling in New Westminster, where he practised medicine for 40 years.

In addition to his work as a physician, he co-founded the East Indian Welfare Society and travelled to Ottawa to lobby the federal government on issues important to the Indo-Canadian community, including family reunification and recognition of foreign credentials.

An active member of Metro Vancouver’s Sikh community, Gill served as president of the Khalsa Diwan Society and was instrumental in raising funds for the construction of the Ross Street Gurdwara in Vancouver in 1970, according to his family.

Gill also founded the Indo Canadian Friendship Society, which funds village improvement projects in Punjab.

“Remarkably, all this was done on top of his day job as a physician, where he treated so many in the community and saved many lives,” the family’s statement reads.

“His office was more than a traditional Doctor’s office. It was a community hall. Indo-Canadians all across Metro Vancouver came to Dr. Gill’s office for more than treatment. They came for guidance, advice and help.”

Gill was awarded the Order of British Columbia in 1991. He was the first Canadian born in India to receive that honour.

He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, UBC Global Citizenship Alumni Achievement Award in 2013, and UBC MAA Wallace Wilson Leadership Award in 2018.

Gill’s family plans to hold a celebration of his life on May 20, and encourages those interested in attending to email docgurdevgill@gmail.com for details.

“It’s often said that a rising tide lifts all boats,” the family’s statement concludes.

“For so many people in both Canada and India, Dr. Gill was that rising tide. May he rest in peace.” 

Adblock test (Why?)



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Langford, Heim lead Rangers to wild 13-8 win over Blue Jays

Published

 on

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Rookie Wyatt Langford homered, doubled twice and became the first Texas player this season to reach base five times, struggling Jonah Heim delivered a two-run single to break a sixth-inning tie and the Rangers beat the Toronto Blue Jays 13-8 on Tuesday night.

Leody Taveras also had a homer among his three hits for the Rangers.

Langford, who also walked twice, has 12 homers and 25 doubles this season. He is hitting .345 in September.

“I think it’s really important to finish on a strong note,” Langford said. “I’m just going to keep trying to do that.”

Heim was 1-for-34 in September before he lined a single to right field off Tommy Nance (0-2) to score Adolis García and Nathaniel Lowe, giving Texas a 9-7 lead. Heim went to the plate hitting .212 with 53 RBIs after being voted an All-Star starter last season with a career-best 95 RBIs. He added a double in the eighth ahead of Taveras’ homer during a three-run inning.

Texas had 13 hits and left 13 men on. It was the Rangers’ highest-scoring game since a 15-8 win at Oakland on May 7.

Matt Festa (5-1) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win, giving him a 5-0 record in 13 appearances with the Rangers after being granted free agency by the New York Mets on July 7.

Nathan Eovaldi, a star of Texas’ 2023 run to the franchise’s first World Series championship, had his worst start of the year in what could have been his final home start with the Rangers. Eovaldi, who will be a free agent next season, allowed 11 hits (the most of his two seasons with Texas) and seven runs (tied for the most).

“I felt like early in the game they just had a few hits that found the holes, a few first-pitch base hits,” said Eovaldi, who is vested for a $20 million player option with Texas for 2025. “I think at the end of the day I just need to do a better job of executing my pitches.”

Eovaldi took a 7-3 lead into the fifth inning after the Rangers scored five unearned runs in the fourth. The Jays then scored four runs to knock out Eovaldi after 4 2/3 innings.

Six of the seven runs scored against Toronto starter Chris Bassitt in 3 2/3 innings were unearned. Bassitt had a throwing error during Texas’ two-run third inning.

“We didn’t help ourselves defensively, taking care of the ball to secure some outs,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.

The Blue Jays’ Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a double and two singles, his most hits in a game since having four on Sept. 3. Guerrero is hitting .384 since the All-Star break.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Blue Jays: SS Bo Bichette (calf) was activated and played for the first time since July 19, going 2 for 5 with an RBI. … OF Daulton Varsho (shoulder) was placed on the 10-day injured list and will have rotator cuff surgery … INF Will Wagner (knee inflammation) was placed on the 60-day list.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Chad Bradford (5-3, 3.97 ERA) will pitch Wednesday night’s game on extended five days’ rest after allowing career highs in hits (nine), runs (eight) and home runs (three) in 3 2/3 innings losing at Arizona on Sept. 14.

Blue Jays: RHP Bowden Francis (8-4, 3.50) has had two no-hitters get away in the ninth inning this season, including in his previous start against the New York Mets on Sept. 11. Francis is the first major-leaguer to have that happen since Rangers Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan in 1989.

AP MLB:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Billie Jean King set to earn another honor with the Congressional Gold Medal

Published

 on

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Billie Jean King will become the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey announced Tuesday that their bipartisan legislation had passed the House of Representatives and would be sent to President Joe Biden for his signature.

The bill to honor King, the tennis Hall of Famer and activist, had already passed unanimously in the Senate.

Sherrill, a Democrat, said in a statement that King’s “lifetime of advocacy and hard work changed the landscape for women and girls on the court, in the classroom, and the workplace.”

The bill was introduced last September on the 50th anniversary of King’s victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes,” still the most-watched tennis match of all-time. The medal, awarded by Congress for distinguished achievements and contributions to society, has previously been given to athletes including baseball players Jackie Robinson and Roberto Clemente, and golfers Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer.

King had already been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. Fitzpatrick, a Republican, says she has “broken barriers, led uncharted paths, and inspired countless people to stand proudly with courage and conviction in the fight for what is right.”

___

AP tennis:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

News

Account tweaks for young Instagram users ‘minimum’ expected by B.C., David Eby says

Published

 on

SURREY, B.C. – Premier David Eby says new account control measures for young Instagram users introduced Tuesday by social media giant Meta are the “minimum” expected of tech companies to keep kids safe online.

The parent company of Instagram says users in Canada and elsewhere under 18 will have their accounts set to private by default starting Tuesday, restricting who can send messages, among other parental controls and settings.

Speaking at an unrelated event Tuesday, Eby says the province began talks with social media companies after threatening legislation that would put big tech companies on the hook for “significant potential damages” if they were found negligent in failing to keep kids safe from online predators.

Eby says the case of Carson Cleland, a 12-year-old from Prince George, B.C., who took his own life last year after being targeted by a predator on Snapchat, was “horrific and totally preventable.”

He says social media apps are “nothing special,” and should be held to the same child safety standards as anyone who operates a place that invites young people, whether it’s an amusement park, a playground or an online platform.

In a progress report released Tuesday about the province’s engagement with big tech companies including Google, Meta, TikTok, Spapchat and X, formerly known as Twitter, the provincial government says the companies are implementing changes, including a “trusted flagger” option to quickly remove intimate images.

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version