CIUS gets $250,000 for election monitoring from Wrzesnewskyj Family Foundation (10/17/04)

CIUS gets $250,000 for election monitoring from Wrzesnewskyj Family Foundation

by Bohdan Klid

EDMONTON - Borys Wrzesnewskyj, recently elected member of Parliament in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke Center, on September 12 presented a check in the amount of $250,000 to the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) at the University of Alberta on behalf of his family's charitable foundation, "Dopomoha Ukraini" Aid to Ukraine to fund the Ukraine Transparency and Election Monitoring Project (UTEMP).

The project, under the management of CIUS, will send up to 12 Canadian experts to Ukraine to design and deliver non-partisan seminars on election laws, policies and procedures for local election officials and scrutineers.

UTEMP thus aims to support Ukraine's democratic development by reinforcing the understanding of election-related legislation, government policies and procedures that are followed prior to and during elections. The project is very timely as Ukraine's fourth presidential election since independence is scheduled for October 31. A runoff second round will take place on November 21 if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote.

The donation was accepted on behalf of the University of Alberta by Dr. Andrew Greenshaw, associate vice-president (research), and on behalf of CIUS by Dr. Zenon Kohut, director. In his opening remarks during the presentation, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj stressed that the upcoming elections in Ukraine are "elections that matter." Ukraine, he noted, is the only post-Soviet state outside of the Baltic countries with a viable opposition, which is a vital component of any democracy. "Canada, and Ukrainian Canadians, have an important role to play in support of Ukraine's continued democratic development, and through institutions like CIUS can help."

"Although people tend to look at universities as ivory towers," Mr. Wrzesnewskyj stressed, "at given points in time activities by institutions like CIUS could affect the lives of millions." This particular project, he noted, could train up to 1,000 election observers in Ukraine. Thus, it was "easy to write this check because this work will help Ukrainians in Ukraine."

Dr. Greenshaw thanked Mr. Wrzesnewskyj on behalf of the University of Alberta and noted that international relations are matters of great importance for the university community and for CIUS, whose excellence in scholarship and contributions in the area of international relations are highly recognized.

Dr. Kohut also thanked Mr. Wrzesnewskyj and pointed out that CIUS had over eight years of experience in Ukraine managing projects funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) that have promoted democratic development. He added that CIUS has an infrastructure in Ukraine, which would translate into effective management of the project, "making every dollar count." Mr. James Jacuta will head the project for CIUS and the non-governmental organization Community Energy Foundation will be CIUS's partner in Ukraine.

On September 10 Mr. Wrzesnewskyj also visited the Ukrainian Folklore Center at the University of Alberta, where he met its director, Dr. Andriy Nahachewsky, Dr. Bohdan Medwisky and Theresa Warenycia. Later that day he met with media representatives and attended a dinner with Ukrainian Canadian community leaders.

The next day he continued his meetings with community groups and leaders, which included a meeting with the group spearheading the establishment of a Consulate General of Ukraine in Edmonton, headed by Yuri Moskal, and the Ukrainian Canadian Archives and Museum of Alberta, headed by Khrystyna Kohut.

He also met with the president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress - Alberta Provincial Council, Catherine Chichak, and attended both its symposium on Eastern European women immigrants and its banquet, where he delivered greetings on behalf of the Canadian government. Following the banquet, he attended a reception hosted by Andrew Hladyshevsky and Daria Luciw.

The next morning, following services at St. Josaphat's Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj spoke to parishioners attending a breakfast about the upcoming elections in Ukraine and the importance of participating in the political process in Canada to make certain that the needs of the Ukrainian Canadian community are known and addressed by governments, especially at the federal level.

Following the breakfast meeting, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj visited the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, an outdoor museum containing buildings and artifacts related to the lives of Ukrainian pioneer settlers in Alberta in the late 1920s. Mr. Wrzesnewskyj was accompanied on his visit to Edmonton by his aide, Yvan Baker.

The grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj is the current president and owner of both the Future Bakery and M-C Dairy, well-established businesses headquartered in Etobicoke, Ontario. In recognition for his success and innovation, Mr. Wrzesnewskyj was named one of Ontario's "Top 100 Entrepreneurs" by the Ontario Business Journal.

The Future Bakery, founded by his grandparents, today employs more than 80 people. He took over his family business at the age of 22 following his graduation from the University of Toronto.

Mr. Wrzesnewskyj has dedicated much of his life to working with community groups and humanitarian causes both in Canada and abroad. In Ukraine he funded, organized and supported civil rights groups and democratic reform prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Wrzesnewskyj family continues to work in Ukraine, funding and organizing relief efforts for orphans, and offers post-secondary scholarship funds for promising students in need.

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