Brampton: Ex-MP Raj Grewal's Gurdwara Loan Scandal Tops a Week of Community Headlines
Former MP and Mississauga-based lawyer Raj Grewal has been named in a lawsuit filed September 4, 2026, alleging he used two prominent GTA Gurdwaras as collateral for a $15 million loan while his total debts surpassed $200 million, adding to roughly two dozen ongoing legal actions against him and his law firm. Peel Regional Police separately announced a hate crime charge against a 14-year-old boy for spray-painting derogatory messages on Brampton's Tamil Genocide Memorial, a monument unveiled just over a year ago after years of community advocacy. Rounding out the week, a new Punjabi Sikh matchmaking app called Kimari launched its service in Brampton on September 14.
🗳️ Former MP Raj Grewal Faces New Lawsuit Over Gurdwaras Used as $15 Million Loan Collateral
Former Brampton member of Parliament and Mississauga-based lawyer Raj Grewal is the central figure in a lawsuit filed September 4, 2026, alleging that two well-known Greater Toronto Area Gurdwaras were used to secure a $15 million loan while Grewal's combined personal, corporate, and family debts exceeded $200 million. The Sikh Spiritual Centre Toronto, known as the Etobicoke Gurdwara, and Brampton's Nanaksar Gurdwara are named as defendants alongside Amarjit Singh Deol, president of both institutions, and Gurmail Singh Nirman, treasurer and director of the Sikh Spiritual Centre Toronto. The plaintiffs are two linked Hamilton-based private lenders, SSMT Management Inc. and Oculus Mortgage GP Inc., which provided the $15 million at a 24 percent annual interest rate, generating monthly obligations of $300,000. Since May, more than $1.5 million in interest-only payments has gone unpaid, and Grewal is held responsible for the entire loan balance plus arrears. The lawsuit is one of approximately two dozen legal actions Grewal and his firm RSG Law currently face. A separate case involving roughly $6 million in counterfeit cheques deposited through RSG Law also emerged; shortly after those fraudulent funds passed through the firm's trust account, a $250,000 wire transfer was made to the Sikh Spiritual Centre Toronto in April. Grewal's lawyer, Simon Bieber, claimed the latest case had been resolved, though similar statements made about other ongoing matters have not held. [2]
Teenager Charged in Hate Crime After Tamil Genocide Memorial Spray-Painted with Slurs at Chinguacousy Park
A 14-year-old Brampton boy was arrested and charged following the vandalism of the Tamil Genocide Memorial at Chinguacousy Park, Peel Regional Police confirmed in a news release in April 2026. Reports of the incident reached police on March 20, when officers learned the monument — which commemorates victims of the Tamil genocide in Sri Lanka — had been spray-painted with derogatory messages. The boy was arrested on March 31 and faces two counts of mischief over $5,000. Because he falls under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, his identity cannot be released publicly. He will be required to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice at a future date. The Tamil Genocide Memorial was unveiled at Chinguacousy Park in May 2025 after years of advocacy by Brampton's Tamil community, and the defacement was treated by police as a hate-motivated crime. Peel Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah issued a firm statement in response: "Peel Regional Police will not tolerate vandalism — especially hate-motivated crimes of spaces that are meaningful to our communities. People across the region have the right to feel safe in public spaces." Community members had worked for years to see the memorial installed as a permanent, public acknowledgment of the Tamil genocide, lending added weight to what authorities characterized as a hate-motivated act of vandalism targeting a landmark of deep significance to Brampton's Tamil diaspora. [6]
🤝 Punjabi Sikh Dating App Kimari Launches in Brampton with a Concierge-Led Matchmaking Model
Kimari, a Punjabi Sikh dating app built and operated by Doppi, Inc., officially launched in Brampton, Ontario, on September 14, 2026. The platform uses a structured, human-assisted approach: once a member creates a profile and activates their search, a concierge reviews potential introductions. Each candidate must independently agree before the concierge coordinates a time and a public café location for a first coffee meeting. Kimari calls its framework "First Coffee + 3 Dates." Following that initial meeting, members may arrange up to three additional dates with the same person as long as both parties wish to continue. By the fourth meeting, Kimari encourages members to discuss whether they are seeking a serious relationship with each other. Either person may stop the process at any point without further obligation. First introductions connect members who have each selected Punjabi Sikh as their community preference, giving participants a shared cultural foundation while acknowledging that individual relationships to faith, language, and family tradition can differ meaningfully from one member to the next. Kimari frames this shared identity as a starting point rather than a guarantee of compatibility. Registration is free and the app carries no up-front subscription fee, positioning it as an accessible option for single Punjabi Sikh adults in Brampton seeking culturally grounded long-term relationships rooted in shared heritage. [3]
Sources: [2] The Pointer · [6] CBC · [3] 24-7PressRelease.com