Latest news with #UkrainianCanadianCongress
Business Upturn
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Upturn
Canada Stands with Ukraine. Now Ukrainians Stand with Canada.
TORONTO, July 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a heartfelt gesture of solidarity and gratitude, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) announced a $100,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross to help meet the needs of people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan . Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Canadians have stood with Ukraine in extraordinary ways. Together, CUF and UCC, through the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA), have raised and committed over $95 million in aid, impacting the lives of more than 6 million Ukrainians. Much of that support has come from communities now facing their own crisis. ' As wildfires destroy homes, displace families, and blanket communities in smoke, we see firsthand the toll this emergency is taking on Canadians, many of whom stood with Ukrainians when they needed them most ,' said Andrew Maleckyj, Chair of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation . ' This donation is our way of standing with Canadians now .' 'We are grateful to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for their generous support that will benefit people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan,' said Melanie Soler, vice-president, emergency management, Canadian Red Cross . 'As we continue to respond to one of the worst wildfire seasons in the prairies, the Red Cross is committed to helping people while they are away from home and as they begin to recover.' 'Our hearts go out to our neighbours whose lives and homes are affected by these wildfires,' said Alexandra Chyczij, National President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress. 'The Ukrainian Canadian Congress will do all we can to support these communities during their time of need.' The $100,000 contribution to the Canadian Red Cross will be used for assisting those impacted by the wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan with immediate and ongoing relief. This includes financial assistance, support to evacuees and the communities hosting them, recovery and resilience efforts in response to the wildfires, as well as supporting community preparedness and risk reduction for future all-hazard disaster events within Manitoba and Saskatchewan. United by care and driven by community, CUF and UCC reaffirm their ongoing commitment to the Canadian communities that continue to make their work possible. To donate and learn more about the CUF, please visit . Social Media: Instagram: @ canadaukrainefoundation Facebook: @cufoundation YouTube: @canada-ukrainefoundation2010 Media Contacts: Zai Karim [email protected] – 647-983-6669 Shannon Kenney [email protected] – 416-770-0359 About the Canada-Ukraine Foundation Founded in 1995 during the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established to coordinate, develop, and deliver humanitarian assistance from Canadians to Ukraine. CUF continues to play a vital role as a national charitable foundation, working to monitor, promote, and support humanitarian aid initiatives. Its mission includes evaluating projects, fostering collaboration among aid providers, setting strategic priorities, and ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. CUF also serves as a forum for individuals and organizations—across community, private, and public sectors—committed to supporting Ukraine. In addition to its work abroad, CUF also supports related initiatives within Canada. To learn more: About the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal A joint initiative of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in January 2022 to coordinate the efficient delivery of humanitarian aid in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its efforts focus on supporting displaced persons, medical care, emergency shelter, and food security—both in Ukraine and among those displaced to Europe and Canada. To date, the UHA has delivered over $95 million in aid, helping more than 6 million people. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada Stands with Ukraine. Now Ukrainians Stand with Canada.
TORONTO, July 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a heartfelt gesture of solidarity and gratitude, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) announced a $100,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross to help meet the needs of people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan . Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Canadians have stood with Ukraine in extraordinary ways. Together, CUF and UCC, through the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA), have raised and committed over $95 million in aid, impacting the lives of more than 6 million Ukrainians. Much of that support has come from communities now facing their own crisis. ' As wildfires destroy homes, displace families, and blanket communities in smoke, we see firsthand the toll this emergency is taking on Canadians, many of whom stood with Ukrainians when they needed them most ,' said Andrew Maleckyj, Chair of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation . ' This donation is our way of standing with Canadians now .' 'We are grateful to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for their generous support that will benefit people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan,' said Melanie Soler, vice-president, emergency management, Canadian Red Cross . 'As we continue to respond to one of the worst wildfire seasons in the prairies, the Red Cross is committed to helping people while they are away from home and as they begin to recover.' 'Our hearts go out to our neighbours whose lives and homes are affected by these wildfires,' said Alexandra Chyczij, National President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress. 'The Ukrainian Canadian Congress will do all we can to support these communities during their time of need.' The $100,000 contribution to the Canadian Red Cross will be used for assisting those impacted by the wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan with immediate and ongoing relief. This includes financial assistance, support to evacuees and the communities hosting them, recovery and resilience efforts in response to the wildfires, as well as supporting community preparedness and risk reduction for future all-hazard disaster events within Manitoba and Saskatchewan. United by care and driven by community, CUF and UCC reaffirm their ongoing commitment to the Canadian communities that continue to make their work possible. To donate and learn more about the CUF, please visit . Social Media: Instagram: @ canadaukrainefoundation Facebook: @cufoundation YouTube: @canada-ukrainefoundation2010 Media Contacts: Zai Karim zai@ - 647-983-6669 Shannon Kenney shannon@ - 416-770-0359 About the Canada-Ukraine Foundation Founded in 1995 during the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established to coordinate, develop, and deliver humanitarian assistance from Canadians to Ukraine. CUF continues to play a vital role as a national charitable foundation, working to monitor, promote, and support humanitarian aid initiatives. Its mission includes evaluating projects, fostering collaboration among aid providers, setting strategic priorities, and ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. CUF also serves as a forum for individuals and organizations—across community, private, and public sectors—committed to supporting Ukraine. In addition to its work abroad, CUF also supports related initiatives within Canada. To learn more: About the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal A joint initiative of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in January 2022 to coordinate the efficient delivery of humanitarian aid in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its efforts focus on supporting displaced persons, medical care, emergency shelter, and food security—both in Ukraine and among those displaced to Europe and Canada. To date, the UHA has delivered over $95 million in aid, helping more than 6 million people. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Canada Stands with Ukraine. Now Ukrainians Stand with Canada.
Canada-Ukraine Foundation and Ukrainian Canadian Congress donate $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross in support of the Manitoba and Saskatchewan Wildfires Appeals Photo Credit: Alexis Aubin/Canadian Red Cross TORONTO, July 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a heartfelt gesture of solidarity and gratitude, the and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) announced a $100,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross to help meet the needs of people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Canadians have stood with Ukraine in extraordinary ways. Together, CUF and UCC, through the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA), have raised and committed over $95 million in aid, impacting the lives of more than 6 million Ukrainians. Much of that support has come from communities now facing their own crisis. "As wildfires destroy homes, displace families, and blanket communities in smoke, we see firsthand the toll this emergency is taking on Canadians, many of whom stood with Ukrainians when they needed them most," . "This donation is our way of standing with Canadians now." 'We are grateful to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress for their generous support that will benefit people impacted by wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan,' . 'As we continue to respond to one of the worst wildfire seasons in the prairies, the Red Cross is committed to helping people while they are away from home and as they begin to recover.' 'Our hearts go out to our neighbours whose lives and homes are affected by these wildfires,' said Alexandra Chyczij, National President, Ukrainian Canadian Congress. 'The Ukrainian Canadian Congress will do all we can to support these communities during their time of need.' The $100,000 contribution to the Canadian Red Cross will be used for assisting those impacted by the wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan with immediate and ongoing relief. This includes financial assistance, support to evacuees and the communities hosting them, recovery and resilience efforts in response to the wildfires, as well as supporting community preparedness and risk reduction for future all-hazard disaster events within Manitoba and Saskatchewan. United by care and driven by community, CUF and UCC reaffirm their ongoing commitment to the Canadian communities that continue to make their work possible. To donate and learn more about the CUF, please visit Social Media: Instagram: @canadaukrainefoundation Facebook: @cufoundation YouTube: @canada-ukrainefoundation2010 Media Contacts:Zai Karim zai@ - 647-983-6669Shannon Kenney shannon@ - 416-770-0359 About the Canada-Ukraine Foundation Founded in 1995 during the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) was established to coordinate, develop, and deliver humanitarian assistance from Canadians to Ukraine. CUF continues to play a vital role as a national charitable foundation, working to monitor, promote, and support humanitarian aid initiatives. Its mission includes evaluating projects, fostering collaboration among aid providers, setting strategic priorities, and ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. CUF also serves as a forum for individuals and organizations—across community, private, and public sectors—committed to supporting Ukraine. In addition to its work abroad, CUF also supports related initiatives within Canada. To learn more: About the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal A joint initiative of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the CUF-UCC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal (UHA) was launched in January 2022 to coordinate the efficient delivery of humanitarian aid in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Its efforts focus on supporting displaced persons, medical care, emergency shelter, and food security—both in Ukraine and among those displaced to Europe and Canada. To date, the UHA has delivered over $95 million in aid, helping more than 6 million people. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Global News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Three years into war with Russia, Ukrainians continue to settle in Manitoba
Since leaving Ukraine in August 2022, Mila Shykota has built a new life in Winnipeg. Her daughter is in school. She and her partner bought a house. She even traveled to Kyiv last year to visit family and bring her beloved cat home to Canada. 'I can say I have integrated into Canadian life, but of course I miss my homeland and I worry about it,' she said. 'I'm reading news feeds every day, and I am keeping in touch with my mom and with my relatives.' Shykota is one of the 298,128 Ukrainians who came to Canada through the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET), a federal program introduced in March 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Roughly 30,000 Ukrainians made their way to Manitoba, according to Joanne Lewandosky, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress's Manitoba chapter. Story continues below advertisement 'People are still coming here on a regular basis,' she said. 'Just last week we had a call from Tennessee … and we get regular calls from Europe, people who now maybe in Poland or in Italy.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Lewandosky says the UCC also sees people who initially settled in other provinces choosing to move to Manitoba due to the cost of living and the province's large Ukrainian population. The Manitoba government had offered supports to Ukrainian refugees, including child care and reimbursement for immigration medical exams. With those programs no longer in place, Lewandosky says the UCC's goal is to fill the 'gaps' that are left. 'We still have a help center here. People are still bringing things and people are taking them,' she said. The organization is also providing English classes in Gimli, Brandon, Winkler, and Winnipeg, thanks to provincial funding. Nine hundred students will begin classes in the fall. 'That is definitely filling a gap that's very prominent right now in the province of Manitoba,' Lewandosky said. Shykota has secured permanent residency, but for some other Ukrainians in Canada under the CUAET, the future isn't as certain. Those who arrived on or before March 31, 2024, are able to apply for work or study permits through temporary immigration measures, but those who arrived after must do so through Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada's regular process. The federal government announced cuts to immigration targets last year. Story continues below advertisement 'I know many who had gone back from Canada to Europe and even to Ukraine,' Shykota said. As she moves forward with life in Winnipeg, Shykota said every day the war continues is 'psychological pressure' for Ukrainians, one that claims victims each day. 'Ukraine is a very brave country. Our people are really heroes, but we need help, we need support, because it is not the war just for Ukraine, it is just for the whole world, and you can support us,' she said.
Canada Standard
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Canada Standard
Cancellations at Canadian film festivals raise questions about accountability
Film festivals are unique cultural institutions, spaces to see diverse films by local and global filmmakers and an important market for distributors. These films are often difficult to see, or even know about, outside of festival circuits. Festivals are also answerable to funders and to different stakeholders' interests. Cancellations of planned films raise questions about festivals' roles and accountability to community groups who find certain films objectionable, the wider public, politicians, festival sponsors, audiences, filmmakers and the films themselves. In September 2024, The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) faced a backlash from pro-Ukrainian groups - and former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent - when the documentary Russians at War was included in the program. Read more: 'Russians at War' documentary: From the Crimean to the Iraq War, soldier images pose questions about propaganda The Ukrainian Canadian Congress and other advocates called on TIFF to cancel the film, directed by Russian Canadian Anastasia Trofimova, which they accused of being Russian propaganda. TIFF did cancel festival screenings after it was "made aware of significant threats to festival operations and public safety," but once the festival was over, showed Russians at the TIFF Lightbox Theatre. In November, the Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) cancelled the Canadian premiere of Rule of Stone , directed by Israeli Canadian director Danae Elon. As a film and media professor, I supervised Elon's research for the film while she pursued a master's degree at Queen's University. RIDM acknowledged Elon's "personal commitment to criticizing and questioning the state of Israel" through her story about the stone that, by Israeli law, has to be used on the exterior of every new building in Jerusalem. In the film, Elon examines how, in post-1967 Jerusalem, "architecture and stone are the main weapons in a silent, but extraordinarily effective colonization and dispossession process" of Palestinians. As a documentarist and a researcher in Israeli and Palestinian media representations of fighters, I have analyzed both films and followed the controversies. Each focuses on contemporary political issues relevant to our understanding of current affairs. While the reasons for the cancellations are different, in both cases the festivals responded to pressures from community groups, placing the public right to a robust debate at the festival and beyond as secondary. Director Anastasia Trifamova embedded herself in a Russian supply unit, and later a medical team, eventually making her way to the front lines in occupied Ukraine. Trifamova comes across as a naive filmmaker, using an observational, non-judgmental form of filmmaking common in 21st-century war documentaries, as seen in films like Armadillo and Restrepo (respectively following Danish and U.S. troops in Afghanistan). As noted by TIFF, Russians was "an official Canada-France co-production with funding from several Canadian agencies," and Trifamova said she did not seek or receive official permission from the Russian army to film. The film documents the machination of war, where soldiers are both perpetrators of violence and its victims. It humanizes the soldiers, which understandably can be upsetting to Ukrainian and pro-Ukrainian publics. But should emotions of one group, outraged and incensed as they may be, prevent the public from having the difficult conversations promoted by the film? Early in the film, Trifamova confronts the soldiers about why they are fighting and they respond with Russian propaganda (fighting Nazism, defending the borders). Later, soldiers approach Trifamova - on camera - to express doubts about the justification of the war and their presence in Ukraine. The film provides an unflattering view of Russia's attack on Ukraine, emphasizing the futility of the war and the incredible toll on soldiers and civilians (including some Ukrainian civilians). Russian troops appear untrained and poorly equipped to fight in chaotically managed battles. Like Armadillo and Restrepo , Russians at War represents the soldiers without judgment and contributes to necessary conversations about war. In my analysis, while Trifamova refrains - in her sporadic voice-over - from condemning the war outright, it is difficult to read the film as Russian propaganda. While TIFF cited security concerns as the reason for cancellation, security was in place for another film that attracted controversy, Bliss . A cancellation from such an established festival likely has an effect on how a film is able to circulate. For example, TVO, one of the funders of Russians at War , cancelled its scheduled broadcast days after the TIFF cancellation. Rule of Stone , as noted by RDIM, "critically examines the colonialist project of East Jerusalem following its conquest by Israeli forces in 1967." The title references a colonial bylaw to clad building with stone, first introduced by the British, which still exists today. The film, which examines architecture's role in creating modern Jerusalem, is led by Elon's voice-over. It mixes her memories of growing up in 1970s Jerusalem and her reckoning with the "frenzy of building," which included projects by architect Moshe Safdie, a citizen of Israel, Canada and the United States. Elon recounts that her father, journalist and author Amos Elon, was a close friend of Safdie, as well as legendary Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kolek. Safdie is among the Israeli architects, architectural historians and planners who Elon interviews. The expansion of Jewish neighbourhoods is contrasted with the restrictions on and disposession of Palestinians in Jerusalem. Multiple scenes show the demolition of Palestinian homes or the aftermath. In intervwoven segments, Izzat Ziadah, a Palestinian stonemason who lives in a stone quarry, gives a tour of what is left of his destroyed home. Viewers hear how the planning, expansion and building of Jewish neighbourhoods, post-1967, were designed to evoke biblical times. As architectural historian Zvi Efrat notes, the new neighbourhoods look like, or attempt to look like, they were there forever. As reported by La Presse , the RIDM cancellation came after the festival received information about the documentary's partial Israeli financing, something that "embarrassed" them with some of the festival's partners. Funding for the development of the film came from the Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, which receives support from Israel's Ministry of Culture and Sport. Two organizations, the Palestinian Film Institute and Regards Palestiniens, opposed the film's showing on the basis of their commitment to the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). In the organizations' logic, Israel state funding means a film should be subject to boycott as "PACBI specifically targets Israeli institutional funding in the arts which serves to culturally whitewash and legitimize the Israeli state." In my view, this position differs from the PACBI guidelines, which state: "As a general overriding rule, Israeli cultural institutions, unless proven otherwise, are complicit in maintaining the Israeli occupation and denial of basic Palestinian rights, whether through their silence or actual involvement in justifying, whitewashing or otherwise deliberately diverting attention from Israel's violations of international law and human rights." Makor should be exempted since it regularly funds films that draw attention to Israel's violations of Palestinian human rights. In 2024 alone, the list includes The Governor , The Village League and Death in Um al hiran . RIDM's website does not disclose support for a boycott. In the end, RIDM announced that Elon withdrew her film. She stated: "Screening my film at RIDM does not serve the long-term purpose of the festival, nor is it possible now to address the nuances in our common fight for justice for Palestine. I am deeply saddened and distressed by [what] has brought it to this point." To date, the film has not found a cinema in Montreal willing to screen it. The two festivals' mission statements promise high-quality films that transform or renew audiences' relationships to the world. It is clear why programmers chose both films, since they're cinematically innovative and provoke important conversations. However, both festivals silenced these films and signalled to other filmmakers that these festivals are not brave spaces to have difficult and necessary conversations.
