L.A. Matheson Secondary teacher named among Canada’s Most Powerful Women

L.A. Matheson Secondary teacher Gurpreet Kaur Bains has been named one of WXN’s 2026 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners. Selected from applicants across Canada, she was recognized in the Professionals category for mentorship, advocacy and dedication to student success.

Bains, who has taught for 25 years, said she applied after encouragement from community members. She said the recognition offers immigrant women of colour an opportunity to be visible on national platforms, and that she wanted to highlight Surrey educators’ work using education to create positive change.

As head of the school’s languages department, Bains has mentored new teachers and supported students who have received the Dhahan Youth Awards, an annual Punjabi-language creative writing competition. She has also overseen school fundraising for the Guru Nanak Diversity Village long-term care facility, with students raising more than $18,000 to date.

Bains said the award reflects empathy, advocacy, inclusion and service-centred leadership rather than position or authority. She thanked her family, friends, students, colleagues, mentors and community partners, describing the honour as a reflection of their collective impact.