Evelyn Kardynal is shown making a Ukrainian flag, which was added to the Holodomor monument, located on the hillside behind the Allen Sapp Gallery in North Battleford. (Submitted photos/Jeff Kardynal)

By Angela Brown

Planning rally

Battlefords community shows support for people in Ukraine

Feb 28, 2022 | 2:42 PM

The Battlefords Ukrainian Canadian Cultural Council (BUCCC) is planning a local rally to show support for the people of Ukraine, under siege by Russian forces.

BUCCC president Paul Kardynal of Ukrainian heritage said his wife Evelyn created a Ukrainian flag the family put up at the Holodomor monument, located on the hillside behind the Allen Sapp Gallery in North Battleford, Saturday, to show their solidarity.

The BUCCC are currently working on setting a date to have a rally in the local area, similar to the rallies held in Saskatoon, Lloydminster and in many other communities across Canada recently.

“Russia has declared war on Ukraine and seeks to destroy Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” Kardynal said. “That’s the problem. The Ukrainian people didn’t provoke this. They haven’t done anything to provoke this Russian invasion.”

North Battleford resident Tetiana Polishchuk, from Kyiv, Ukraine, is worried about the situation in her home country. Her husband’s parents are still living in Ukraine and the family are concerned about their wellbeing.

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“It’s a very bad situation,” she said. “We have relatives all over the place. And it’s not like the shooting is in one place, it is all over the Ukraine.”

Polishchuk said it’s a complicated matter for people in Ukraine wanting to leave, because they need to have their travel documents prepared first.

She said her family stays in touch with their relatives by contacting them on a regular basis.

“We call each and every friend and each and every relative asking about the situation,” she said. “Most importantly, they are still alive. We do not sleep nights, waiting for the Ukrainian sunrise. It’s the hardest time there, nights.”

Rhea Good, local educator and author of Bottle of Grain: A Holodomor Story, who is of Ukrainian descent, said the tragedy in Ukraine hits close to the heart for many Ukrainian-Canadians in the Battlefords area.

Her great grandfather emigrated from Ukraine to Canada with his family as a child in 1904. Good said her ancestors left Ukraine due to social and economic oppression at that time. And, it appears not much has changed in the past century.

“It’s just very sad to me that these issues are not resolved,” Good said of the conflict in Ukraine. “There will be bloodshed and there will be loss of life. It would just be so much better if people could negotiate their grievances instead of resorting to this.”

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow