Pitching in: Fundraising for Canada-Ukraine Foundation
The organizers: Bert Clark, Roman Dubczak and Tim Griffin
The pitch: Raising more than $1-million and climbing
The cause: The Canada-Ukraine Foundation
Roman Dubczak likes to joke that he's probably the best-known Ukrainian-Canadian on Bay Street.
'I'm the only Roman,' he said with a laugh.
Mr. Dubczak was born and raised in Toronto and has spent more than 30 years with CIBC, where he is deputy chair of capital markets. His parents immigrated to Canada from Ukraine in the 1950s, and he has three cousins who live near Lviv.
Ever since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February, 2022, there has been a flurry of donations to help various causes in Ukraine.
Bert Clark, chief executive of Investment Management Corporation of Ontario, wanted Toronto's financial district to get involved as well. He organized the Bay Street Breakfast for Ukraine in 2023 and invited former Ontario premier and UN ambassador Bob Rae to speak. The event raised around $300,000 for the Canada-Ukraine Foundation to help fund its medical outreach programs in Ukraine.
Mr. Dubczak got involved as well along with Tim Griffin, former chief executive of Connor, Clark & Lunn Private Capital. They followed up with a second breakfast in June, 2024, featuring Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Kyiv-based human-rights lawyer. That event also raised more than $300,000 for the foundation.
The group is planning a third breakfast on June 6, the day before Ukraine's national soccer team plays Canada in the Canadian Shield Tournament in Toronto. The speaker will be Ukrainian soccer legend Andriy Shevchenko. The organizers are hoping to raise as much as $400,000, putting the total for all three events at more than $1-million.
Mr. Dubczak said he keeps in close contact with his relatives in Ukraine and supports several local initiatives. 'It's tough to call and say, 'How's it going?'' he said. 'You feel you're not doing enough.'
He has two sons and a daughter in their 20s and knows that if they were in Ukraine, the boys would likely be in the military. 'You feel it. It's drawn me in a lot more,' he added.
The group plans to hold the breakfast again next year when the emphasis will likely be on raising money to rebuild Ukraine. And while interest in the war has waned, Mr. Dubczak said, the Bay Street crowd is still very much engaged. 'The awareness and the passion is very, very high on this topic.'
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