The war was very much on the minds of the Ukrainian community that gathered at a Saanich park Saturday to celebrate Ukraine’s 32nd year of independence.
Chants of “Slava Ukraini! Heroiam Slava!” rippled through those gathered for a group photo in the evening after a day spent at Beckwith Park.
Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes, is a phrase that has come to symbolize resistance against the ongoing Russian invasion.
Dima Borysenko, Ukrainian Canadian Congress Victoria branch president, said organizers decided to hold a low-key celebration to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, which occurred on Thursday.
No concerts, singing, or dancing were planned due to concerns about what’s happening in Ukraine, he said. “Just music, food, grass, and gathering together.”
Borysenko said about 70 per cent of those attending were Ukrainian newcomers who made their way to Canada in the last two years.
Many who attended wore the national colours.
Eleven-month-old Elizabeth Isla, clad in blue and yellow, was taking wobbly steps under the supervision of her mother Tanya Remnova, who was wearing a traditional embroidered Ukrainian blouse called a vyshyvanka.
Remnova left Kyiv and arrived in Canada five months pregnant with Isla, who holds a Canadian citizenship. “She’s lucky, but the reason why she’s Canadian is not so lucky,” she said.
For Kyrylo Lymariev, hearing Ukrainian widely spoken at an Independence Day celebration in Canada was like “music to his ears.”
The shoemaker and former soldier — Lymariev had last served in the Ukrainian army as a battalion commander before leaving service due to injuries — arrived in Canada with his wife Iana Lymarieva and daughter, Iana, about two months ago.
Before the war, they split their time between Kyiv and Bila Tserkva and lived a good life, he said. But that all came apart due to the war, and the family left for Prague before eventually making their way to Canada.
Lymariev applied for a job with Viberg, a Victoria-based workboot company, before he arrived.
He remembers his first call with the company where he confessed that he was still learning English. He reenacted his bosses’ reaction: “It’s okay, we speak the language of shoes here, I give you a job!”
He said he is very grateful for the company’s willingness to help with the transition to Victoria. His wife now works alongside him as an assistant shoemaker, though she’s hoping to go back to her former career of casino management.
For many Ukrainian newcomers, a new country means the need to have new jobs and careers. Dmytro Dziuba, a software engineer, is still looking for a job after he lost his remote gig in February. “My goal here is to find a job in Canada, pay taxes, have money,” he said, laughing.
He said he’d like to help rebuild Ukraine once the war is over, but for now, ensuring the wellbeing of his two boys, aged six and 11, is the priority.
Dorraine Baines, an outreach coordinator with WorkBC, was there along a few volunteers to provide support and information about their programs to those interested.
“It’s very heartwarming to see people playing and enjoying their national pride in a way that’s inclusive and open and celebratory,” she said. “It’s good to see that they can celebrate that, despite everything.”
Baines said that English language skills are the biggest barrier to finding work. “We’ve recently started a new partnership where we’re able to get folks into English lessons. There’s a new intake every Monday, so people can start whenever they are ready,” she said.
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