Lakeshore's South Asian population is booming due in large part to the GTA

People in Lakeshore will tell you: It's a peaceful community with lower home prices and good schools — and certainly not the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). And that's exactly what the town's growing South Asian community enjoys about the rural community east of Windsor.

The South Asian community in Lakeshore is growing.

According to the census, the number of people who reported their first language as Hindu or Punjabi was 14,000 in 2021 — up from 8,000 in 2016.

Locals and a town councillor welcome the diversity.

"I drive up new streets and find out how many Indian people are coming," said Amarjit Grewal, who moved to Lakeshore in 2019 with wife, Jas, and kids.

"Three, four streets are almost 80 per cent new Indian people coming."

"Growth is quite a bit," added Jas Grewal.

"When we moved there were only a couple families in this area. Now there are so many families."

Amarjit Grewal says he's noticed the growth of the South Asian community in Lakeshore and recently started a Sikh and Punjabi society in Lakeshore. (Sonya Varma/CBC)

Amarjit Grewal started a Sikh and Punjabi society, and this summer he hosted a community picnic that attracted more than 200 people.

This year the community also held its first Vaisahki event, an important Sikh celebration.

Some of Lakeshore's South Asian growth is comprised of Windsorites looking for a change of pace, like one couple CBC spoke with who moved from Forest Glade.

But others are moving from the GTA, especially Brampton.

"I moved to Canada in 2019 and I was in the GTA," said Bavneet Brar, a banker who came to Lakeshore in 2021.

"It was quite busy.  We came [to Lakeshore] with our cousins, the surroundings are quite peaceful, so we bought a house here."

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Brar says she was one of six in her extended family who moved to Lakeshore.

She says she likes the safety and security the municipality offers.

"I think it's quiet, it's peaceful," she said. "From Brampton … people feel it's not that safe anymore and it's busy."

"Here it's close to the States, it's easy to commute, and the properties, comparatively, the rates are much much less as compared to Brampton."

More than 200 people attended a picnic for the Punjabi and Sikh communities in Lakeshore over the summer. (Sonya Varma/CBC)

But many are also setting up businesses.

Rajbir Brar owns an organic farm in Wheatley, but chose Lakeshore for his next business venture.

"It was my passion, I wanted to open a store," he said.

"I have a farm, all organic veggies, I have produce from my farm and wanted to do something like this."

That led him to found Lakeshore Punjabi Bazaar, a large Indian grocer that also offers takeout. When renovations are complete, it will also be a dine-in restaurant, one of a few others that have popped up in the community.

Lakeshore Punjabi Bazaar is renovating to add a dine-in restaurant. (Submitted by Rajbir Brar)

Kelsey Santarossa is a Lakeshore councillor who says the South Asian community growth over the last six to seven years has added a richness to the municipality.

"We're seeing diversity from one end to the other not just from our residents but in our business as well," Santarossa said. "It's been quite wonderful."

"I've always said we have enough Lakeshore go around."

Santarossa says the South Asian community tends to be engaged: Hosting community events and inviting councillors, like this summer's picnic, and attending public consultations and weighing in on the town's development.

She says she often gets requests for things like additional park benches or more shade in public parks, as the community welcomes more multigenerational families where grandparents might be taking walks with grandchildren throughout the day.

"I think the writing's been on the wall about how wonderful we are. It took a little bit for that secret to get out," she said. "But I think with the economic investment, with the housing that we're building and just quite honestly how wonderful the community is, it didn't take much convincing."