Ukrainians in Canada

No Ukrainian poet or writer embodies the spirit of the Ukrainian people like Taras Shevchenko (1814-1861). His poetry made an unsurpassed contribution to the develo­pment of Ukrainian national identity and inspired the people of Ukraine to a cultural and political rebirth. These factors laid the foundation for the eventual formation of Ukraine as an independent state. Taras Shevchenko is the national poet of Ukraine. Every year around March 9 (the date of his birth in 1814) and March 10 (the date of his death in 1861), Ukrainians around the world celebrate his life and legacy with concerts; reciting his poems and singing songs with lyrics culled from his pioneering collection of poems, “The Kobzar.” Choral ensembles have been honouring him most often with a concert programme called «Slovo Tarasa» (“The Poetry of Taras Shevchenko,” or literally translated - “The Word of Taras”). The concert was initially conceived by the Artistic Director of the Kyiv Bandurist Capella, Danylo Pika, who conducted the first performance of it in 1939 during that Capella’s tour of Western Ukraine commemorating the 125th Anniversary of Ukraine’s national poet’s birth.

The Barbara Edwards Contemporary Project Space opened its doors on February 9 for a special reception featuring the works of Ukrainian-born Canadian artist Taras Polataiko. The event raised awareness about ongoing wartime orthopaedic trauma in Ukraine and BCU Foundation's special fund titled Advanced Surgical Skills and Implants for Skeletal Trauma (ASSIST). The exhibition’s curator, Barbara Edwards, delivered the opening remarks along with an insightful, in-depth lecture on the themes of Polataiko’s work, which call attention to cultural conflict, displacement, identity, and moments of cultural genocide. Polataiko's exhibited works connect to Kazimir Malevich's art with its glare, as a number of the works are paintings of photographed paintings, thus making Polataiko a painter's painter with radical visual thinking that reinvents conventionality. Edwards also brought attention to the two portraits of "Dima" and "Oleh," Ukrainian soldiers photographed in the surgical wing of the Kyiv Military Clinical Hospital for the series "War. 11 Portraits." The two photographs are images of war that present an unseen aspect since the physical injuries of the soldiers are not photographed. The aesthetic of each photo compels the viewer to look into the eyes of these soldiers and listen to what they have to say without judging them for their physical ailments. The absence of injuries in the photographs does not mean they are nonexistent, as traumatic orthopaedic injuries are substantial and present great challenges to artists and doctors alike...

BCU Foundation encourages applications for its annual $10,000 “Canada 150 Fund” Graduate Scholarship as part of its ongoing commitment to foster the development of future generations of scholars and young professionals. The funding is awarded to a Ukrainian Canadian graduate student or young scholar pursuing a graduate degree, including Master’s, MBA, PhD, or post-doctoral research, at a recognized North American institution in the fields of science, engineering, technology, business, finance, and other disciplines...

Russia is a state supporter of terrorism as it both supports individuals and entities that have carried out terrorist activities and engages in such activities itself. Indeed, Russia’s military and mercenaries, supported by the state, are resorting to summary executions, torture, sexual violence, starvation, nuclear saber-rattling, and targeted missile and kamikaze drone attacks. They target hospitals, schools, religious buildings, cultural sites, railway stations, residential homes, and critical civilian infrastructure to cut access to gas, electricity, food, water, and the Internet with the clear aim of terrorizing the Ukrainian population into submission. Russia has not succeeded in this heinous endeavor since...

In the month of July, a charity camp for children who were forced to leave their homeland was held at the CYM campsite Veselka near Acton, Ontario. The camp was planned in two tours, July 4-15 and July 18-29. The programs of these camps were different because the aim of the camp was to integrate all the campers when the educational and recreational camp took place in parallel in the last two weeks of July. In general, the goal of our camps and the CYM program is to educate patriotically conscious youth in the spirit of Christian principles. The first two weeks of the camp included 150 Ukrainian children who came to the camp on five different buses from different points of Toronto and its surroundings, namely OId Mill, the school of Joseph Cardinal Slipyj, UCC Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Mississauga, UCC St. Spirit in Hamilton and from north Toronto. The participants of the camp took part in a program that...

The historic XXVII Triennial Congress of Ukrainian Canadians concluded yesterday in Winnipeg, MB. The delegates set the priorities and elected the leadership of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for the next three years. The Congress was attended by over 400 delegates and guests. The theme of the Congress – Stronger Together – В Єдності Сила – Tous ensemble – set the stage for three days of deliberations, workshops and discussions that developed the policy directions for the UCC for the next three years. The Triennial Congress unanimously re-elected Alexandra Chyczij as National President for a second term. “A dynamic and energetic Triennial Congress set the direction for the UCC for the next three years. We will continue to prioritise support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the heroic defence of their country and freedom in Europe,” stated President Chyczij. “I am honoured by the ...

Russian military aggression is not leaving any component of the environment unscathed – air, water, soil, flora, fauna, as well as auxiliary infrastructure facilities, Ruslan Hrechanyk, Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources told the Khmarochos. “One trillion hryvnias is needed to restore the environment. But every day the number of losses increases,” said Hrechanyk on Oct. 25. Two weeks later, the Chamber of Accounts named an even higher figure for the estimate of the damage to the Ukrainian environment – UAH 1.35 trillion. According to the Operational Headquarters for Fixing Ecocrimes of Russia, since the beginning of the war, emissions of hazardous substances into the air due to forest fires, oil products’ and industrial facilities’ burning have exceeded 67 million tons (for comparison, in 2021 and 2020, emissions were ...

The $10,000 BCU Foundation “Canada 150 Fund” Graduate Scholarship will be shared by two young scholars in its inaugural year. Olha Hnatyshyn, of Verdun, QC, and Olena Skalianska, of Toronto, ON, will each receive $5,000 towards their academic studies. BCU Foundation established the scholarship as part of its ongoing commitment to foster the development of future generations of scholars and young professionals. Olha Hnatyshyn has earned BA and MSc degrees and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Environmental Economics at Concordia University. Her research focuses on climate change, multiple international environmental agreements, and endogenous coalition formation. She has received numerous prizes, scholarships, and certificates of accomplishment, and she has published and presented her work in various venues. She is also the initiator and co-organizer of the...

Over 200 guests gathered at the Art. Gallery of Ontario on May 12 for the 2022 Tryzub Awards Gala to honour (Ret.) Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk and Dr. Timothy Snyder for their contribution to strengthening the Ukrainian brand. This year’s recipients of the Tryzub Award are two stellar representatives of the immeasurable support being afforded the Ukrainian nation at all levels of society, across different fields and professions. Retired Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk’s life’s work is rooted in the military, having held many leadership roles during his distinguished career. The significance of his contribution as Commander of the Canadian Army to developing Canada’s mission in Ukraine known as Operation Unifier is now fully understood in the framework of today’s global fight for democratic principles and values. In his remarks Lt.-Gen. Wynnyk highlighted the...

Today, Yvan Baker, the Member of Parliament for Etobicoke Centre, received unanimous consent of the House of Commons for his motion seeking to recognize Stalin’s 1944 deportation of Crimean Tatars as genocide and to establish May 18th of each year in Canada as Crimean Tatar Deportation (“Sürgünlik”) Memorial Day. “My sincere gratitude to MPs of all parties in the House of Commons for their unanimous support of my motion. The passage of this motion is an important step in honouring the victims of the Sürgünlik, but it is also important in raising awareness that the genocide that Russia is perpetrating in Ukraine today and that the persecution of Crimean Tatars that is happening as we speak, has happened in Ukraine before during both the Sürgünlik and the Holodomor." MP Baker said. “This underlines how important it is that the world take the steps necessary to ensure that Ukraine wins this war with Russia and that all occupied territories including Crimea are once again part of the...