Malton shines with Khalsa Day parade

According to Mississauga "The parking lot of the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Malton Gurdwara Sikh Temple was bursting with resplendent cultural attire for today's Khalsa Day celebrations.
The annual event was marked by a parade, where some 80,000 people marched from the Malton temple on Morning Star Ave. all the way to Rexdale Gurdwara Malton Sikh Temple on Carrier Dr. for a feast. The walk, complete with ceremonial drums and colourful floats, attracted participants from around the GTA and took roughly four hours to complete. Lucky for them, the plus-20 degrees celsius temperatures made for ideal walking conditions.
Bramalea-Gore-Malton MPP Jagmeet Singh explained that Vaisakhi (Khalsa in Punjabi) — which dates back to 1699 — recognizes the formulation of the Sikh spirituality.
"One of the unique things about Khalsa is that (Sikhs) have an obligation to not only work on ourselves internally, by meditating and proving ourselves, but we have a duty and a commitment to improving society at large," said Singh. 
"We are celebrating a principle of giving back to community, of standing for justice, rights and equality of all people – which is one of the most beautiful things and why this is one of the most important celebrations for us."
Singh was thrilled, but not surprised by the turnout. "It's amazing — it just shows how vibrant the community is."
Ontario New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath addressed the audience at a ceremony before the parade got underway.
"The Sikh values are ones that are shared by the NDP party, very much so. It's almost like it's a natural fit to be here celebrating some of the fundamental cornerstones of the Sikh belief system — it's very moving for me and I feel very at home here," said Horwath.
Kahlon noted that money and food donations were also collected for local food banks at the event.
"While we celebrate Vaisakhi, we also get a chance to give back to the mainstream community as well," said Gurdwara youth volunteer Harbaljit Kahlon.
The event was hosted by the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee.
Last year, over 100,000 people attended the parade."