VANCOUVER – When one of Vancouver’s most well-established communities celebrates one of its most important events of the year, it’s only natural that one of Canada’s oldest institutions should play a significant role.
And so it was that last weekend (April 11) when Vancouver’s Sikh community held their annual Vaisakhi parade, BMO Bank of Montreal, Canada’s oldest bank and one that has a long tradition of serving the community, was given pride of place as a participant at the launch.
One of the key speakers at the Ross Street gurdwara, before the parade got underway, was Mike Bonner, Senior Vice-President of BMO’s BC and Yukon Division.
Also present at the invitation-only event were BMO executives James Kitamura, Regional Vice-President, Vancouver Market; Sarvpreet Gandhi, Head of Divisional Operations; Ashish Arora, Regional Vice-President, Surrey and Fraser Valley, and Anupam Jindal, Branch Manager, 48 Avenue and Fraser Street, Vancouver.
In his speech to the audience at the temple, Mr. Bonner thanked the hard-working Sikh community for their contribution to the Canadian economy, and applauded the Sikh spirit of giving back to the community.
But BMO’s involvement went some ways beyond the presence of Mr. Bonner and his team at the launch. The bank in fact provided 50 volunteers to help organize the parade. In addition to decorating the gurdwara and the floats for the occasion, these volunteers also helped during the event itself by distributing food, water and gifts to the tens of thousands of parade attendees.
The high-profile role that BMO played in the event reflected the long-standing ties between the Bank of Montreal, which was established in 1817, and Vancouver’s South Asian communities – ties that are symbolized by the iconic presence of BMO branches at the corner of Main and Marine, and Fraser and 48th, in the heart of Vancouver’s South Asian business and residential district.
