NRI Aman Virk elected Mayor of Golden B.C.

Aman Singh Virk, 39 was officially elected Mayor of Golden, BC, Canada on Monday, November 17th. The victory was declared, and the official count is 573-568, ( 11ballots were rejected) as declared by Chief Election Officer, Jon Wilsgard. He beat incumbent Mayor of Golden, Jim Doyle with only 5 votes.

According to local news media, Virk is the first Indo-Canadian (NRI) to have been elected to the position of Mayor of Golden, in the history of B.C., Canada

The first Indo-Canadian mayor was Naranjan Singh Grewall in Mission, BC, back in the 1950s

Virk said:

• I have spent the last 38 years in Golden and running for mayor was a decision I made many months ago
• I think people see me as just another kid that has grown up here, not necessarily an Indo-Canadian kid. I'm honoured that the people of Golden would give me their support, that they would take a chance on me
• It's clear that incumbent Mayor Jim Doyle is well respected and there's still a lot of support for him, and that's really important to me. Being elected Mayor is something that I take very seriously
• I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve the community in this new way, and I'm excited about the new council. We've got a good mix of new blood, some long term residents that have a lot to offer, and some returning councillors that will be able to lend the benefit of their experience. I feel that it's important to have a strong council, we don't always have to agree on everything, but we have to be relevant to members of the community and the issues that we're facing.

Virk has recently sold the family hotel business and have enough time to serve the 4,000 people of beautiful town as mayor.

Aman Singh Virk was born in Coventry, England and his family migerated to Golden, BC, Canada in 1970. He has been on Council for the last four terms (12 years). His family belongs to Virk village, near Phagwara in Jalandhar district of Punjab

There are only 20-25 NRI families in ths city of Golden.

Golden is located in the southeast corner of the province of British Columbia, Canada.

Combining a traditional British Columbia industrial base with a growing tourism sector, Golden attracts a broad cross-section of people from all over the world, who come to work, live, play and stay.

This is a real town with real people. From humble beginnings to the hub of activity that is Golden today, this town in the spectacular region known as Kicking Horse Country is just as compelling and authentic now as it was then.
Located in one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth. Golden is near six of the most stunning National Parks Canada has to offer (Banff, Glacier, Jasper, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke and Yoho). This place has long been well loved and well used by explorers.

NRI Aman Virk elected Mayor of Golden B.C. on Nov. 15, 2008. He has been on Council for the last four terms (12 years).