MLA looking into grant awarded by B.C. Liberals to Surrey-based society

VANCOUVER — A B.C. NDP MLA is trying to determine how a Surrey society run by three men with B.C. Liberal Party links received a $200,000 government grant less than three weeks after it was incorporated. “I’m kind of blown away by it, to be honest with you,” said Delta North MLA Ravi Kahlon, who is the parliamentary secretary for sport and multiculturalism. “It’s amazing how this went about.”

In February 2017, Surrey businessmen Satnam Johal and Kulwinder Singh Badesha sent a letter to Rich Coleman, housing minister at the time, asking for $200,000 in financial support for a proposed “community well-being centre” to connect youths and seniors in the Fraser Valley and Surrey. The letter stated that the centre would include affordable housing for seniors and a health and wellness centre.

The idea was to build the centre under the umbrella of an organization called the New Horizons Village Society. The society’s mantra is “Elders can be young and youth can be responsible.”

Kahlon said he’s been active in the South of Fraser area and South Asian community and “we’ve never heard of this proposal before.”

According to corporate records, New Horizons Village Society was incorporated on March 1. A day later, it changed its name to Horizons Village Society. It has three listed directors: Badesha, Johal and Jagmohan Singh. It is not listed as a registered charity with the federal government.

Singh ran unsuccessfully for the B.C. Liberals in 2009 in the riding of Surrey-Panorama. Johal was intending to run for the Liberals in the most recent election, but failed in nomination fights in two ridings. Badesha said he is a member of the B.C. Liberals.

Badesha told media on Friday that he is not involved in the day-to-day operations of the society. The banquet hall owner got involved because “I would like to do something, a good thing, for the community.”

Johal forwarded a statement that said no money — either the government grant or any private donations — has been spent thus far. “This project is in the infancy stages,” it said.

Singh told media that the grant was not a special case. “Government issues the grant, not us. We applied, we received,” he said.