Ukrainian Canadian

Edit: The Ukrainian Credit Union has responded to the article below in the comments.

Last week on OMNI1’s Svitohliad, billed as a ‘current-affairs show.. on topics especially relevant to Canadians of Ukrainian heritage’, the show spent almost half of their air-time interviewing a fashion blogger, Marta Tryshak:

I’m no fashion expert but after watching the interview the only connection between herself and Svitohliad’s directives was that she is Ukrainian, but the blog she promotes is not and is only dedicated to fashion.

Marta also promotes her contest for a shopping spree sponsored by the Ukrainian Credit Union – which happens to also be a sponsor of Svitohliad (she even records the bank’s commercial for her YouTube video). Is there a conflict-of-interest where the show dedicates significant time to the sponsors activities?

Almost half of the show dedicated to Ukrainian-Canadian topics is not only advertisements for their sponsors, but even outside interests:

The interview also promotes Marta on the cover of a new magazine that’s exclusively distributed by the Credit Union, but the magazine is not published by the bank – it’s a private business.

Is this a proper way for Svitohliad to operate, representing and informing our community? Shouldn’t it be focused on actual stories for Ukrainian-Canadians, instead of catering to its sponsors and private groups whom we don’t know, nor know how they operate? The Fall isn’t a slow news period either, Holodomor Awareness week begins in two weeks.

If you have a private business, perhaps you too should see if Svitohliad will interview you next. We haven’t been asked yet! Also, don’t expect any grants or advertising from credit unions here anytime soon.

Edit: A similar piece aired today on Kontakt on the ‘Stay Ukrainian my friends’ segment (both the show and the segment are sponsored by the Ukrainian Credit Union). But the vignette was very short, only one or two minutes long out of an hour long program. This is a much more acceptable solution, as this show spent much more time informing its viewers about news and events then pleasing its sponsors.

A court in Kiev sentenced the country’s most prominent opposition politician, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, to seven years in prison. European leaders have condemned the case as politically motivated, and hinted that they are unlikely to ratify a free trade and association agreement with Ukraine, a project four years in the making.

…

“This is an authoritarian regime,” she said. “Against the background of European rhetoric, Yanukovich is taking Ukraine farther from Europe by launching such political trials.” As bailiffs led her from the courtroom, Ms. Tymoshenko turned in the doorway to wave goodbye, a small figure in a white coat and helmet of blond braids.

…

But international legal experts saythat she seems to have been performing a routine administrative function for which she might conceivably be disciplined, if the government was displeased with her performance, but not charged with a crime.

With Ms. Tymoshenko’s trial at an end, European governments will have to decide whether to make good on their warnings that imprisoning her will freeze efforts to integrate with Ukraine politically and economically. On one hand, Mr. Yanukovich has defied intense diplomatic pressure from Western partners, crossing what one analyst called “the reddest of red lines.”

On the other hand, Ukraine has been under pressure from Russia to join its own economic bloc, along with Kazakhstan and Belarus. Even compared to the other former Soviet nations, Ukraine — with a population of 46 million, about the size of France — seems to waver between Europe and Russia, so that isolating it from the West could have profound consequences.

Mr. Yanukovich has made integrating with Europe a central goal, and he is likely to head off catastrophic damage by softening Ms. Tymoshenko’s conviction swiftly. One route to this would be decriminalizing the article under which she was convicted. In that event, her name will be cleared and she will be able to run in parliamentary elections in 2012, said Serhiy Vlasenko, one of her lawyers. This could occur as soon as next week, so that Mr. Yanukovich would be welcome at European Union talks in Brussels scheduled for October 20.

He suggested as much on Tuesday, when he told journalists, “This is not a final decision.”

Read the rest of the article

Tonight there is a demonstration in front of the Ukrainian Consulate in Toronto at 6:30PM: 2275 Lakeshore Blvd West.

View Larger Map

Reuters sums up this case very well in only a few short paragraphs:

Ukraine’s state prosecutor on Tuesday asked for a seven-year jail sentence to be passed on former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in a trial which the West has warned can rebound on the country’s hopes of joining the European mainstream.

Tymoshenko, 50, Ukraine’s most prominent opposition politician, is charged with abuse of office linked with a gas deal with Russia in January 2009 which the leadership of President Viktor Yanukovich says saddled the country with an exorbitant price for gas. She denies this.

The United States and the European Union say the trial is politically motivated and they have urged Yanukovich to find a way of ending the case against her.

And the Yanukovich administration claims it’s not politically motivated:

Ukrainian prosecutors said Wednesday they were seeking a seven-year jail term for Tymoshenko, a $195 million fine and a ban on her holding a position in the public sector for three years after her release.

That would only put Tymoshenko out of the running for the next three Presidential races until about 2022.

Meanwhile in Canada, the Conservative government had some harsh words:

Ottawa "has expressed to the Ukrainian government our serious concern about the apparent bias in the ongoing judicial proceedings against former prime minister Tymoshenko," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Wednesday.

"Political persecution is completely unacceptable," he said. "The appearance of political bias in judicial proceedings undermines the rule of law."

Even Liberal leader Bob Rae expressed concern:

Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada Bob Rae has invited ex-Ukrainian Prime Minister and Batkivschyna Party leader Yulia Tymoshenko, who is currently held in custody, to attend the 41st session of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa, according to Tymoshenko’s personal Web site:

"As the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, I have the honor to invite Mrs. Yulia Tymoshenko, former Ukrainian prime minister and leader of the democratic opposition, to Ottawa for meetings with Canadian parliamentarians and for the 41st session of the parliament", the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada said in the letter of invitation.

Rae expressed concern over the recent events in Ukraine, particularly, what he called the politically motivated arrests of many opposition activists, including Mrs. Tymoshenko.

We have no idea at what they are hinting at

Here are some highlights from last week’s Toronto & Buffalo Ukrainian Festivals. I apologize for the lateness as I’ve been dealing with an internet outage (still ongoing) and it’s tough to get these uploaded without it!

If you want to relive almost the entire festival, watch this massive collection of videos:

And here’s my Toronto/Buffalo Festival video recap which pales in comparison:

Toronto Festival pictures:

Here are a few select photos from Facebook (Albums one and two):

Buffalo Festival pictures:

This weekend is your chance to celebrate Ukrainian culture on both sides of the border as Toronto and Buffalo put on their annual festivals:

Toronto Ukrainian Festival
Friday, Sept 16th – Sunday, Sept 18th, 2011
Bloor Street, between Jane and Runnymede

Discover Ukrainian culture in Canada and share the Ukrainian spirit at North America’s Largest Ukrainian Street Festival. This is your opportunity to experience Ukrainian culture and hospitality at its best. As always there will be non-stop entertainment with Ukrainian performers from the Greater Toronto Area, Canada, the USA and Ukraine which will include dancers, vocalists and musicians. Don’t miss the YOUTH segment on the grand stage at Jane Street! And if you wish – join the dancing at the evening ZABAVA/Street Dance on both Friday and Saturday.

You will find vendor kiosks: delicious authentic Ukrainian food and beverages, beautiful souvenirs, interactive pavilions, and more. This year you can also enjoy SIDEWALK SALE shopping at the local Bloor West Village businesses. There is a midway for kids and youth. Take in the colourful parade on Saturday morning at 11am and a new attraction this year is the Film Festival being held at the Runnymede Library (Sat) and The Village Playhouse (Sun).

More info

Buffalo Ukrainian Festival
Sunday, Sept 18th, 2011 Noon – 7PM
St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church Hall – 3275 Elmwood Ave.,  Kenmore, NY 14217

Dance music, traditional dance performances, indoor & outdoor seating, delicious food, scrupulous deserts, theme baskets, select vendors, indoor & outdoor and more.

More info

I will be attending both festivals this year, and will try to take lots of pictures and videos which I haven’t gotten much of a chance to do recently. Hope you can make it out!