Gurbux Singh Saini was born in a small rural village of Bhungarni and grew up in the city of Jalandhar, Punjab in an extended family household which included his middle-class parents and three uncles. His father owned a sweet shop, working countless hours to provide for the family. His example of hard work motivated Gurbux to pursue his own ambitions, one of which was to come to Canada.

In 1972, his wife Mohinder, four-month-old son, Kulwinder, and Gurbux himself arrived in Canada as immigrants with just $8 dollars. They settled in Williams Lake, and he shortly landed his first job at West Fraser Timber. As his family went on to include two more children, Michael and Paul, he took on additional jobs, ultimately joining Jacobson Bros. where he eventually became the Plant Manager. Throughout, he continued to upgrade his skills and education, obtaining a lumber grading ticket and completing courses at University of Western Ontario in Production and Operations Management and employment law at the University of British Columbia.

Seven years after arriving in Canada, Gurbux was elected as a city councilor of Williams Lake and served in that role for 14 years. Additionally, He served as president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, president of the local federal Liberal association, and president of the Central Cariboo Multicultural Association. He was proud to be instrumental in building a much-needed crematorium in Williams Lake. In recognition of his community service, he was a nominee for the Citizen of the Year award. He also served on the Liquor Appeals Board, Commercial Appeals Commission and the Travel Assurance Board.

In 1984, Gurbux and his wife purchased Savalas Steak House which they operated for 8 years. They then purchased WL Forestry Supplies, expanding the business to include selling NAPA auto parts with additional locations in Quesnel and Surrey. Their business interests now include commercial real estate holdings across Canada and Florida.

In 2016, Gurbux moved to Surrey and made it his mission to advocate for improvements for the residents of Surrey. He spearheaded the creation of washroom facilities at Chimney Heights Park and building picnic tables and lock boxes in various parks throughout the area. Currently, He is spearheading a petition to build a multi-purpose room and walking track at Chimney Heights Park. For the past four years, he has served as President of the Fleetwood-Port Kells federal Liberal Association and was one of the team leaders in getting current MP, Ken Hardie, re-elected for the last two federal elections.

Gurbux says, “I believe in the openness and multiculturalism of our country where we can celebrate our diversity and be proud Canadians at the same time. During the 1995 Quebec referendum, Kulwinder and I flew to Montreal to take part in the pro-Canada rally. I was honored to have recently been awarded the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee award for my service to the community.

I am grateful for the opportunities that Canada has provided to me and my family and believe if we put in effort and due diligence then we can all achieve our hopes and dreams.”