effort to provide aid to the people of Fort McMurray by collectively donating over $400 000 dollars to help those affected by the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire on behalf of the Sikh community of Ontario. The funds were provided directly to Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and the mayor of Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo Melissa Blake. In 2018 the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee also wrote a notice and lobbied Members of Parliament about the Indian Governments continued interference in Canadian domestic matters and diaspora Sikh affairs. This lobbying on the issue of the Indian governments pressure tactics on the City of Brampton to not allow an independent Punjab Pavilion in the annual Carabram program led to a stiff reply from the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland against the Government of India. In May 2018 an IED was set off outside the Bombay Bhel restaurant in Mississauga by unknown individuals. The Government of India set up an information line immediately undermining an ongoing police investigation which led to a stiff rebuke from both the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee as well the Peel Regional Police for this interference in an active police investigation. In early 2018 the Ontario Gurdwaras Committee led a worldwide to stop the continued interference of the Government of India in the domestic and internal affairs of the Sikh community. They did this by instigating a ban of Indian officials from entering the premises of Sikh places of worship in any official capacity. Eventually over 400 Sikh places of worship in Canada, Australia, Europe and the United States of America as well as many other countries. The 2018 edition of the Khalsa Day Parade saw over 250,000 people attend and the parade was started by First Nations in a move towards reconciliation of the fact that diaspora Sikhs are settlers in traditional First Nations lands. On a local level the O.G.C. held a community town hall in cooperation with United Sikhs to address the increase in youth violence in the Brampton area of Ontario. Hundreds of community residents attended the town hall which saw so many residents attend that many hundreds had to be turned away from the door. Members from Peel Police as well as local elected officials made a number of promises to community members and the O.G.C. promised to work with youth by having anti violence and newcomer orientations at its member gurdwaras. See also Sikhism