Ukrainian Independence Day marked with events in Calgary and Edmonton
Newcomers from Ukraine were among the performers at Calgary's Ukrainian Day in the Park Saturday.
The event was one of several marking Ukrainian Independence Day in the city.
Food and Ukrainian items were also on sale, with proceeds going to support groups in Ukraine.
The day serves as an educational one for people wanting to know more about the local community, and how to get involved.
Around the same time, hundreds of people ran around Prince's Island Park to mark Ukrainian Independence Day.
Running across the Peace Bridge, the 3.2 "Forward to Victory" charity run honoured 32 years of Ukrainian independence.
Forward to Victory charity run for Ukraine, Calgary, Aug. 26, 2023
Some of the people who organized the run have husbands fighting in the war back home.
Proceeds from the event will go towards non-lethal defensive supplies for the Ukrainian armed forces.
"In Canada, there is big community which supports not only us but supports the newcomers coming here," said run co-ordinator Yuriy Zabava. "Or are still coming here to find a safer place and to try to build new life here.
This is the first year of the "Forward to Victory" run in Calgary.
For Calgarians looking for some Ukrainian culture on Sunday, the Collector's Gallery of Art in Inglewood has an art show showcasing the works of 10 Ukrainian artists who have relocated to Calgary because of the war. It's at 1332 Ninth Avenue S.E.
All of the proceeds from the sale of the art goes to the Ukrainian artists and there's also a silent auction featuring donated works by other Calgary artists that runs until Sept. 3.
Meantime, in Edmonton, members of the Ukrainian community gathered at the Alberta legislature for a somber celebration.
A rally was held for Ukrainian Independence Day. Demonstrators arranged themselves into a trident, the symbol from the Ukrainian coat of arms.
An organizer said it was a show of unity and support for those keeping the country free.
"We gathered to commemorate those thanks to whom we get to call Ukraine independent today," she said. "And that's those who have sacrificed their lives for Ukraine, as well as those who continue to fight in Ukraine at this very moment.
Rally for Ukrainian Independence Day, Edmonton, Aug. 26, 2023
"Everything we do today is really symbolic," she added, "and around that symbol, to show our unity."
The rally was followed by a bikathon, with more than two dozen cyclists following a route tracing out the national symbol on Edmonton's streets.
An exhibition of work by Ukrainian artists who have resettled in Calgary opens Thursday at the Collector's Gallery of Art in Inglewood. There's a free reception with live music performed by Ukrainian musicians between 5 and 9 p.m. Above: Your Wrinkles, Oleg Arkhanhorodsky, Carbon Print on Hahnemulhe bamboo Paper - 20” x 30"
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
New photos released of Luigi Mangione as prosecutors obtain arrest warrant for suspect in N.Y. shooting
Manhattan prosecutors have obtained a warrant for the arrest of Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the 26-year-old suspect in the brazen Manhattan killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO.
'Governor Justin Trudeau': Trump appears to mock PM in social media post
Amid a looming tariff threat, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump appears to be mocking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, referring to him as 'Governor Justin Trudeau' in a post on Truth Social early Tuesday.
Canada announces new sanctions against Chinese, Russian officials
Past and present senior Chinese officials, as well as Russian officials and collaborators, are the subjects of new human rights sanctions, the Canadian government said Tuesday.
'I never got the impression he would self-destruct:' Friends of suspect in fatal CEO shooting left in shock
Months before police identified Luigi Mangione as the man they suspect gunned down a top health insurance CEO and then seemingly vanished from Midtown Manhattan, another disappearing act worried his friends and family.
Google pulls McDonald's negative reviews over arrest in UnitedHealth murder
Google on Monday removed derogatory reviews about McDonald's MCD.N after the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealth executive Brian Thompson was arrested at its restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where police say a customer alerted a local employee about him.
Canadian man sentenced for embezzling US$1.4 million from employer and clients
U.S. authorities have sentenced a Canadian man to 20 months in prison for a US$1.4-million embezzlement scheme.
Freeland doesn't commit to meeting her own deficit target in fall economic statement
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is not committing to meeting the $40.1-billion deficit target she set for the government last year.
'Godfather of AI' Geoffrey Hinton receives Nobel Prize in physics
Artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield have received the Nobel Prize for physics at a ceremony in Stockholm.
'I was just trying to help her': Ontario woman loses $14,000 to taxi scam
An Ontario woman thought she was helping another woman pay for their taxi ride, but instead she was defrauded of $14,000.