More than a year after dignitaries gathered to mark the project’s ground-breaking, construction of a long-term care facility in Cloverdale is well underway. The Guru Nanak Diversity Village, located near 176 Street and 64 Avenue, has passed the halfway point of its two-year construction schedule. Satbir Cheema, president and CEO of the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society (PICS), said the progress is encouraging, noting that each day brings the project closer to delivering much-needed care to the community.
Cheema said the long-term care home reflects PICS’s dedication to delivering culturally responsive support for seniors. Speaking with the Cloverdale Reporter, he described the facility as a welcoming space built around inclusion, emphasizing that it will be open to residents of all backgrounds. While the home will integrate South Asian traditions, values, and cultural practices into its daily operations, it is designed to serve and support seniors from diverse communities.
Cheema said the facility will be supported by a diverse team of staff capable of communicating with residents in their preferred languages, while also understanding their cultural needs and expectations. He noted that addressing this gap in care was a key motivation behind the creation of the Guru Nanak Diversity Village. While options such as independent and assisted living already exist, he explained that the new facility represents the next stage of support—providing round-the-clock care for seniors who require it.
Cheema said three key considerations guided the decision to establish the facility: language, food, and culture. He explained that many seniors within the South Asian community do not speak English, which can create significant challenges when they enter traditional long-term care homes. Communication barriers, he noted, often leave residents feeling isolated and misunderstood at a time when clear interaction is critical to their well-being.
Food was another major concern. Cheema pointed out that many seniors have followed the same dietary traditions throughout their lives, and the sudden inability to access familiar foods in long-term care can be deeply distressing. He said the adjustment can be particularly jarring in a person’s later years, when comfort and routine matter most.
The third factor, Cheema said, is culture. He shared the example of an elderly Sikh man who struggled to eat at a conventional care facility. In an effort to help, a nurse shaved the man’s beard—unaware of its cultural and religious significance. The incident had a profound emotional impact, Cheema said, noting that the man became depressed and passed away within a week. The story underscores the importance of cultural understanding in caregiving, he explained, as seniors need to maintain the traditions, beliefs, and customs that have shaped their lives.
Cheema emphasized that when seniors are unable to live in a way that aligns with their cultural and religious practices, it can lead to unnecessary stress, emotional pain, and depression during their final years. A facility such as Guru Nanak Diversity Village, he said, is designed to address those needs by offering culturally sensitive care that supports dignity and quality of life.
The three-storey Guru Nanak Diversity Village will include 125 beds, and construction is progressing on schedule. Cheema expects the building to be completed by October 2026, with residents moving in early 2027. The facility will feature a neighbourhood-style design, with each neighbourhood consisting of nine to 24 private rooms, each with its own bathroom. These rooms will be arranged around shared spaces commonly found in a home, including living rooms, dining areas, kitchens, and outdoor recreational spaces.
The project is being developed through partnerships with the Ministry of Health, Fraser Health, and B.C. Housing. PICS have contributed $5 million toward the project, while government funding totals $118 million. Provincial funding will be repaid through low-cost construction financing, and PICS will own and operate the facility.
Guru Nanak Diversity Village is being built at 6471 175A Street in Cloverdale. In 2022, 175A Street was given the honorary name “Guru Nanak Village Way.”
