Ukrainians in N.L. mark anniversary of Holodomor with memorial in St. John's
CBC
Ukrainians in Newfoundland and Labrador gathered at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist in St. John's on Saturday afternoon to mark a grim anniversary.
The event commemorated the victims of the Holodomor, the man-made famine in Ukraine in 1932 and 1933, created by sanctions imposed by the Stalin-led government on the Soviet republic of Ukraine.
Millions of Ukrainians died as a result.
While the Soviet government originally denied that the Holodomor had occurred, a number of countries — including Canada — now recognize it as an act of genocide. The Russian government has not made that recognition.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Bruce Lilly, president of the Ukrainian Cultural Organization of Newfoundland and Labrador, says it is more important now than ever before to remember what happened.
"Really, the Holodomor was about erasing Ukrainians," said Lilly.
"That's what is being attempted again, so it's got a special tinge to it this year."
The Holodomor is marked on the fourth Saturday of November, and Lilly said given the rise in the Ukrainian population in the province, it was important to get the community to come together to honour those who were lost.
"Ukrainians' population in Newfoundland and Labrador has more than doubled in the last nine months," said Lilly.
"There was more urgency toward commemorating this in Newfoundland. This is the first time it's been done."
Brian Cherwick, a Ukrainian-Canadian musician and member of the Kubasonics, was on hand for Saturday's ceremony. He explained that just as the Soviets were "trying to break the will of the people" by confiscating food in the region, the same thing is happening right now.
"It's even more significant for these people here because the same thing is happening to them today," said Cherwick.
"The same region that was affected by the Holodomor, by the famine in the 30s, is the same region where the fiercest fighting is happening today."
Cherwick pointed out that the grain that Ukraine provides to most of the world is being held up by Russian ships, adding that farmers are working under fear of rocket attacks.
A British Columbia woman with a neurological disorder says she's looking forward to finally getting her mobility device back from a Toronto ride-hailing driver, who didn’t return it after she accidentally left it in his car in October.
The Kitchener Fire Department wants homeowners to purchase a carbon monoxide alarm as soon as possible after a new Ontario law requires on every floor of a home or existing multi-unit residence to have one.
Like many others who have been drawn in by the steamy hockey drama series, Cameron Cassidy has watched Heated Rivalry multiple times over.
The Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation is ending its one-on-one healing services after eight years in operation to refocus on building long-term capacity for healing initiatives in the North.
There was disappointment on the streets of Caracas on Friday as only a handful of prisoners emerged from the Heilcoide and other prisons, despite a promise from a major regime figure that a "significant" number of people would get their freedom.
Fourteen million — that’s how many digital checkouts the Toronto Public Library logged last year.
Some archivists and librarians say there are ways to preserve old and outdated books, amid controversy about a London high school’s decision to purge thousands of titles from its library.
New video emerged Friday that was filmed by the U.S. immigration officer who fatally shot a woman in her car in Minneapolis, revealing new angles of the incident as well as audio of the crucial seconds before the encounter turned deadly.
It's been seven years since Chantel John was killed in her home community of Conne River, but she is remembered fondly and vividly by those who knew her.
A Toronto-based renewable energy company says it sees a lot of potential in Nova Scotia’s initiative to incentivize the construction of community 'solar gardens.’
Three people died in a collision between a sedan and a transport truck Thursday evening on Route 11 in northern New Brunswick.
Montreal’s public transit authority, the STM, says its aging Metro system needs billions of dollars worth of maintenance — and it doesn't have the money.
A patient at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital died Friday morning after what the Saskatchewan Health Authority described as a "physical altercation" with hospital security officers.