Bir Sandher – terrorism financier – Loblaws

Bir Sandher was 18 when he moved from Punjab to the Okanagan Valley in 1982 with his father and younger brother Sukhdev. They were sponsored by an older sister. The family was involved with Babbar Khalsa.

Babbar Khalsa, also known as Babbar Khalsa International is a Sikh militant organization that aims to create an independent Sikh nation of Khalistan in Punjab. It gained international notoriety in June 1985 after killing 329 civilians in Air India Flight 182 in Canada’s worst mass murder. BKI influence declined in the 1990s after senior leaders were killed by police. Khalistan Tiger Force was formed in the 2000s by the jailed Jagtar Singh Tara. Bir Singh Sandher is a senior member of the KTF. KTF boss Arshdeep Singh Gill is Bir Singh Sandher’s cousin.

Bir Sandher has five brothers who arrived in a staggered migration: Gurjinder (AM Sandher Farms), Sukhdev (S Sundher Orchards, Royal Fruit Packers), Rajinder (RK Sandher Orchards), Parminder, and Jaspal (J+M Sandher Orchards), and one sister, now deceased. In 1989, Kelowna apple grower Andy Hartman offered to let the Sandher brothers farm his land on lease. In 1995 Sandher replanted the orchard thanks to a free government replant project. Hartman sold the farm to the Sandhers for no payments for 12 years. By 1997 Bir Sandher had a large mortgage on the second property he bought, using the Hartman property as collateral, and with poor prices on old apple varieties, financial institutions were threatening to foreclose. The Indian government expressed concerns in a cable a few years later when it noticed unusual fundraising patterns of Babbar Khalsa and the International Sikh Youth Federation. The Sandhers soon had no financial worries, and they expanded greatly, buying new orchards each year. They are now the dominant buyer of acreage around Kelowna and are bringing 1058 new acres of cherry trees to the arid slopes of Black Mountain.

The Sandhers built their first cherry packing plant in Kelowna in 2009 with complaints about discharge appearing in 2010. A major plant expansion in 2016 resulted in a 100,000 sq ft plant that discharges at least 99,000 liters of illegal wastewater, usually at night. The Ministry of Environment issued its first warning letter to Sandher Fruit Packers at 3231 Old Vernon Road in March 2017. 7+ years and 110k in fines later Bir Singh Sandher has no permit to discharge waste.

A lined sewage field might not exceed $100k. A guess as to Bir Sandher’s gross revenues from apples to Costco and Loblaws and cherries to Global Fruit is $35m every year. Lambo driving Gurtaj Sandher is elder brother and CEO. He describes himself on LinkedIn as “Gurtaj Sandher is a Primary Principle of Sandher Fruit Packers”. One minimally educated might say ‘primary principal’. Prabtaj Sandher is 28.

This is water treatment in Punjab. Bir Sandher is creating a new Punjab in Kelowna. Bir Sandher is an offense. A real Canadian doesn’t shit on their country. Canada deserves much better than KTF terrorist Bir Sandher.

Loblaws touts its wonderful progress with a ‘Code of Conduct’. “Loblaw Companies Limited announced today its support for Canada’s Grocery Code of Conduct. Does that mean they NOW won’t do business with a 14 year recidivist polluter?

2 major chains were responsible for Sandher Fruit Packers expansive success. Costco did buy large quantities of Sandher apples and cherries. They have indicated they won’t do business with Sandher. That leaves Canadian owned Loblaws as the last major supporting a polluter. Real Canadian Superstore. (Loblaws Group)

Those concerned about the dumping of chemicals into ditches by recidivist polluter Sandher Fruit Packers Ltd. may show their support with a petition. It was presented to the MoE. Here.

Acidex Duo is Phosphoric acid. It is a corrosive acid, used to remove the natural wax coating on apples so that a coating of fungicide ‘Shield-Brite’ can be applied. Mineral XX is Sodium hypochlorite. It is liquid bleach used to lower water Ph and remove surface dirt from apples. Advance 12 is potent liquid bleach, again containing Sodium hypochlorite. Powerfoam Plus is a film remover and high concentrate detergent.

An inspector was told that 57,120 liters per day of waste water is produced by the plant operating five days per week. That lie was increased to 99,000 liters per day. The real number is probably much higher. Nothing these recidivists say can be relied upon. chris@sandherfruit.com donaldp@sandherfruit.com

Andre Bailey (andre@globalfruit.org), Richard Isaacs.

A major buyer of Sandher Fruit cherries is Global Fruit. (https://www.globalfruit.org/) Creston based Global Fruit, run by Andre and Krista Bailey, claim to be the largest cherry marketing and export company in Canada, shipping BC cherries to 30 countries.