Canadians develop business contacts (02/16/97)

Canadians develop business contacts

EDMONTON - In December 1996 a delegation from Ukraine traveled to Canada for working meetings to develop business contacts for the Canada Ukraine Business Initiative (CUBI '97).

The delegation included Volodymyr Ignaschenko, deputy head of Ukraine's National Agency for Reconstruction and Development; Andrii Pochtiarov, executive assistant to Roman Shpek, chairman of the National Agency for Reconstruction and Development; and Olena Kucherenko, head of the Canada Relations Department.

In October and November 1996, meetings on CUBI '97 were held in Ukraine with working delegations led by the chair of CUBI '97, Laurence Decore, and representatives of business, the government of Canada, and the provincial governments of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The Canada Ukraine Business Initiative '97 will be kicked-off on Monday, June 16, with a business conference in Calgary. A week of meetings will follow, including the second meeting of the Canada Ukraine Intergovernmental Economic Commission.

Meetings will be organized with the support of provincial governments in three specially selected business sectors: (1) construction (Manitoba); (2) agriculture and agrifood (Saskatchewan); and (3) energy complex (Alberta). The timing of the specific business sector meetings will coincide with major conferences, including the InterCan Oil and Gas show in Calgary, the Western Producers Agri-Show in Regina, and the Housing Export Show in Winnipeg. It is expected that more than 100 people from each business sector in Canada and Ukraine will attend CUBI '97.

The Canada Ukraine Business Initiative was developed by a private-sector committee of businesspeople chaired by Alberta Legislative Assembly Member Decore and the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) at the University of Alberta. The CIUS has received substantial private-sector financial and in-kind contributions from companies that include ATCO Structures, Northland Power, Epic Energy, UK-RAN Oil, as well as seed funding from Industry Canada's Western Economic Diversification program to develop, design and implement the Canada Ukraine Business Initiative strategy.

Volunteers who have agreed to assist in the organization of CUBI '97 include: former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Don Mazankowski; Government of Manitoba Minister Len Derkach; Alberta Government Representative MLA Ed Stelmach; Saskatchewan Government Representative MLA Myron Kowalsky; Doug Mitchell, chair of the Alberta Economic Development Authority; Gerry Fedchun, president, Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce; James Temerty, CEO, Northland Power; Charles Loewan, president, Ukraine Enterprise Corp.; Ed Southern, chairman, Uk-Ran Oil Inc.; Nick Diakiw, La Farge Construction Materials; Jim Orzechowski, president, Smith Carter Architect and Engineers Inc.; Walter A. Kmet, president and CEO, ATCO Structures Inc.; Walter Mackowecki, president, Heritage Foods Ltd.; Ray Malinowski, president, Leon-Ram Enterprises Inc.; Debbie Tansley, Cis-Can Industries Ltd.; Horst Schmid, Flying Eagle Resources Ltd.; Mykhailo Tytarenko, economic counselor, Embassy of Ukraine; Sen. Eugene F. Whelan, president, Agricultural International Development Associates of Canada; and Michael Zwack, Ogilvie & Co.

The Canada Ukraine Business Initiative is designed to develop business contacts between Canadian businesses in the energy, agriculture and construction sectors with partners in Ukraine. Trade between Canada and Ukraine has been growing at a positive rate; trade development is expected to continue. It is also projected that Ukraine's newly emerging market economy will have a positive gross domestic product output in 1997 for the first time in several years. This is projected by several international organizations, including the World Bank.

For more information on CUBI and to receive a registration brochure contact: CUBI '97, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies, 352 Athabasca Hall, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E8; telephone: (403) 492-4341, 492-2972; fax: (403) 492-4967; e-mail: [email protected]

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