UKRAINIAN CANADIAN COMMUNITY LAUNCHES CELEBRATIONS MARKING 125 YEARS OF UKRAINIAN IMMIGRATION TO CANADA
January 29, 2016 - OTTAWA. The Ukrainian Canadian community is celebrating the 125th Anniversary of Ukrainian immigration to Canada. There are over 1.3 million Canadians of Ukrainian descent, and for 125 years Ukrainians have been contributing to the essential fabric of Canadian life and culture.
In 1891 the first Ukrainians came to Canada seeking a better life for their families. Through five large waves of immigration, Ukrainians have settled in Canada - a land of refuge and freedom. The Ukrainian story in Canada is a testament to the opportunities and possibilities that our great country represents. Ukrainians have remembered their traditions, language and culture while giving back to the land where they have made their homes.
They have been instrumental in the building of a diverse, inclusive and welcoming Canada. Imagine what it would have been like to arrive in Canada to start a new life in the 1890's? After World War II?During the breakup of the Eastern European Communist Bloc in the 1980's?After Ukrainian Independence in 1991?
Over the next two years we will be sharing the stories of Ukrainians in Canada and how Ukrainians have helped to build this great country. Today, we will focus on the story of the first Ukrainian pioneers Vasyl Ilyniak and Iwan Pylypow, who blazed the trail for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians across five waves of immigration, each contributing to a stronger Canada.
The Spirit of 1891
On September 9, 1891, two fellow villagers from Nebyliv (in present day western Ukraine, also known as Halychyna), Vasyl Ilyniak and Iwan Pylypow disembarked from the SS Oregon at Quebec City. They had heard about "Free Lands" in Canada and decided to pursue a new opportunity. The two travelled together as far as Winnipeg. Ilyniak connected with German farmers originally from Halychyna in the outlying areas, and arranged to learn what "homesteading" was all about. He remained in the area that became known as Gretna. By the end of September, Pylypow went westward to investigate other regions of Western Canada, to see where it would be best to take up land. He made it as far as Calgary by train, then moved on to Edmonton.
At the end of November, Pylypow had decided to return to Nebyliv to retrieve his family and return to Canada to live.
Back in Halychyna, Pylypow eagerly spread the news of the vast lands in Western Canada.The news was now circulating throughout Nebyliv and other parts of Ukraine: "Go to Canada! Some of our people are already there, near a place called Edmonton, at Edna post office."
This marked the beginning of first wave of immigration from Ukraine to Canada.
Written by Radomir Bilash, National Historian, Ukrainian Canadian Congress
The determined spirit of these Ukrainian trailblazers set the tone for more families, and five waves of immigration to Canada.
Join us as Ukrainian-Canadians begin to commemorate and celebrate this part of our shared, national history.
