Meet Harjas
Harjas Singh Popli’s Community Journey
In every city, there are individuals who quietly shape its soul. In Victoria, one such individual is Harjas Singh Popli, a man whose work reminds us that real leadership is not about titles, but about showing up when it matters most.
As the founding director of Fateh Care Charity, Harjas has built more than a nonprofit, he has built trust. What began during the uncertainty of the pandemic has evolved into a movement grounded in compassion, dignity, and action. Today, Fateh Care supports seniors, newcomers, individuals with disabilities, and families navigating financial hardship across the Capital Regional District.
But to understand the depth of this work, one must first understand the journey.
Before arriving in Canada, Harjas and his family lived a life many would describe as stable and comfortable. Established careers, a strong support system, and a familiar environment, these are not easy things to walk away from.
Yet, in March 2020, they did just that.
Landing in Calgary in the heart of winter, the family stepped into a reality that was both physically and emotionally jarring. A transition from +30°C to -30°C, combined with pandemic shutdowns, created a sense of stillness that could have easily turned into despair.
But it didn’t.
Instead, in an empty house filled with uncertainty, the Popli family chose resilience. They danced to Punjabi music. They experimented in the kitchen. They created moments of joy, not because life was easy, but because they refused to let hardship define their children’s experience.
That choice—quite intentional, and deeply humane—says everything about the foundation on which Fateh Care would later be built.
Six months later, opportunity arrived when Navneet Kaur Popli received Assistant Teaching Professor position at the University of Victoria. The family moved again, this time from Calgary to Victoria.
For Harjas, the professional path was far less certain.
Despite over two decades of experience in human resources, along with credentials including CPHR designation and advanced academic qualifications, the job market proved challenging. He took what he could find, a call center role, followed by contract work that required frequent travel to the Lower Mainland.
Then came the moment that would redefine everything.
When the family fell ill with COVID-19, they faced a reality many newcomers quietly endure: isolation. With limited income, fixed expenses, and no local support network, they reached out for help.
And help did not come.
Barriers, processes, and hesitation stood where compassion should have been. Some organizations required registration. Others declined due to infection risk. Many simply could not deliver.
In that moment, Harjas saw not just a personal struggle, but a systemic gap.
From that experience came a simple yet powerful idea: what if help didn’t come with conditions?
No forms. No judgment. No delays.
Just dignity.
That philosophy became the foundation of Fateh Care.
Rooted in the Sikh principle of ‘Dasvandh’, the practice of dedicating a portion of one’s income to community service, Harjas began funding the initiative personally. Every call for help was met with action. Groceries were purchased. Essentials were delivered. Doors were knocked on with empathy, not questions.
No grants. No waiting. Just service.
And people noticed.
Behind Harjas’s commitment to community is a family foundation built on values, education, and service. His parents, Mr. Surinder Singh Popli, a retired Lawyer from India, and Mrs. Bhupinder Kaur Popli, a retired Science Teacher, instilled in him the principles of compassion, discipline, humility, and giving back.
His life partner, Dr. Navneet Kaur Popli (PhD), now Associate Teaching Professor at the University of Victoria, has been a pillar of strength since the very beginning of Fateh Care. Alongside them, their children, Mansahaj Singh Popli and Manarp Singh Popli, actively participate in building a kinder, stronger, and more connected community.
For Harjas, Fateh Care has never been the work of one person alone. It is a family’s shared commitment to serve with heart, dignity, and responsibility.
Today, Fateh Care has grown into a vital support system for those who often fall through the cracks: seniors living alone, individuals with mobility challenges, single parents, youth, and families on the brink of homelessness.
But what sets it apart is not scale, it is approach.
Harjas does not see “cases.” He sees people.
He understands that vulnerability is not always visible, and that asking for help is often the hardest step. By removing barriers, he has created a model that is both efficient and deeply humane.
Alongside this work, he launched ‘Fateh Care Times’, a multilingual newspaper that amplifies voices often unheard. As Editor-in-Chief, he has ensured that stories of resilience, cultural connection, and community strength are not just told, but celebrated.
Recognition has followed, but that has never been the goal.
From the 2023 ‘Local Hero Award’ by Goldstream Gazette to the 2024 ‘King Charles III Coronation Medal’, and the 2025 ‘Island Health Community Service Award’, each honor reflects something deeper: consistency, integrity, and a relentless commitment to others.
These are not accolades built overnight. They are earned through years of showing up, quietly, steadily, and without expectation.
Today, Harjas stands at another important milestone.
Having stepped away from his professional career in human resources, he has made a decision that speaks volumes about his priorities, he is dedicating himself fully to community service.
With that same sense of purpose, he now formally announces his candidacy for Saanich Councilor.
This is not a shift in direction. It is an expansion of impact.
His lived experiences, as a newcomer, as a parent, as a professional navigating uncertainty, as a diversity, and as a community builder, offer a perspective that is both grounded and necessary. He understands not just policy, but people. Not just systems, but struggles.
And perhaps most importantly, he understands what it means to act.
Communities are not defined by their infrastructure, but by how they care for those who need it most.
In Harjas Singh Popli, Victoria has someone who has already answered that question, not with words, but with work.
The story of Fateh Care is not just about one organization. It is about what becomes possible when empathy meets action.
And if there is one lesson to take from this journey, it is this:
When we remove barriers to care, we don’t just help people survive, we help them belong.