Friday, December 23, 2011

St. Catharines branch celebrates merger anniversary


Branch staff Vlad Pasternak, Svitlana Rudenko and
Irene Mychaskiw with door prize winner
Patricia Taras (holding basket)
On December 1st 2011 the members and staff in St. Catharines celebrated the 3rd anniversary of  the merger of Ukrainian (St. Catharines) Credit Union Ltd. with Ukrainian Credit Union Limited. The day started out with a table full of delicious snacks and sweets. Every member that dropped in during the day received a wonderful gift from UCU a “Будуємо Гормаду. Building Community.” tote bag full of goodies.

 
The centre piece of the event was a raffle for a gift basket that featured, among other things, some simply divine chocolates from Godiva's. The draw for the basket was actually held on December 19th to give as many members a chance to enter as possible, since not everyone was able to show up during the celebrations on the 1st. Based on the positive feedback about the draw for a gift basket, the staff think this will become a permanent part of their annual celebrations.

Local business person Elzbieta Nauman,
who is also a long-time member of UCU
receives a gift bag from Irene Mychaskiw
You can see a few more photos on our Facebook page in this album: St. Catharines 3rd Merger Anniversary.



Wednesday, December 21, 2011

We Have Our Winners!

Final rankings of the 1st ever UCU Investment Challenge
We know our contestants have been waiting patiently for the results of our first UCU Investment Challenge, and before I get to commenting on the winners, I would like to thank all participants in our contest. With the variety of positions held in each portfolio, most long, many short, with some concentrated portfolios and many balanced portfolios, it was very exciting to see how rankings changed from week to week. It made the contest a lot of fun to run, and I'm sure it was great to participate.

At the end of the day, everyone was a winner, as many learned a lot during the 9 weeks of the contest. I'm sure that if contestants were to participate in it again, many would approach things a little differently. And hence, we are going to have a second contest, UCU Investment Challenge 2, where we will be accepting portfolios up to midnight on January 13, 2012. Please see our website for more details, as there have been some slight modifications made to the rules from the contest that just finished.

Enough with these administrative chit-chat and on with the winners!
A detailed look at the top ten participants
 in the UCU Investment Challenge
Our 1st prize of $1,000 in an investment account with Credential Securities through Ukrainian Credit Union goes to .... Alexander R. His portfolio focused on potential market weakness, and was able to take advantage of a weak technology sector. Alexander's portfolio held two positions, but highly skewed towards a bearish outlook on technology in general. This concentration really helped out. At the end of 9 weeks, Alexander's portfolio returned 8.9%! Well done!

Our 2nd prize of $750 goes to ... Walter Y. Walter's portfolio benefitted from two key issues - dividends, as almost all of his positions paid out dividends, but also from a strengthening USD relative to the CAD, as 4 of his 5 positions were US dividend paying blue chip stocks. Walter had a very well balanced portfolio, with all 5 positions holding a starting value of 20% of the total portfolio. An interesting aspect about Walter's portfolio is that only one of his positions was in negative territory at the end of the 9 week period of our contest, and not by very much. Walter's portfolio returned 5.4% overall during the contest! Great picks, Walter!

Finally, our 3rd prize of $500 goes to ... Lara F. Lara's portfolio was also a 5 position portfolio, but Lara had higher weightings in two positions, and two positions were under weighted. Lara focused on the mining sector, but with a little health care thrown in for good measure. Where Lara did well is that her weakest position was also one where she had the lightest weighting - good planning or perhaps just good luck. Lara's portfolio returned 4.6% after 9 weeks! Congratulations Lara!

An interesting point is that not one of the winners took advantage of the trade date back on November 17th, and held their positions steady throughout. Walter was one of the first portfolio entries into our contest, and picked his portfolio a full 2 weeks before our contest deadline, so he must have had strong convictions about his positions.

Now, we are also making a contribution to the Ukrainian Student's club with the most participants in our contest, and below we post the results of our student participants.

Students did quite well, one came in 3rd place,
4 were in the top ten.
We had 14 students participating in our contest, and we were really happy about this. Lara F., our third prize winner, was the top student, and the 4th place finisher, Oleh F., is also a student ... overall we had 4 students finishing in the top 10 of our contest!

As the prize for having the most student's participating in our contest, UCU will provide a pizza party to the Ukrainian student's club of the respective university. In this case, the party goes to the University of Guelph!

Anyway, there's still lot's of time to sing up to take part in our second round. Go here for details: UCU Investment Challenge 2.


UNF Feast of Jordan Survey

Blessing Holy Water at the Feast of Jordan
The Ukrainian National Federation Toronto Branch is surveying the members of the UNF and the Ukrainian Canadian Community at large regarding the celebration of the Fest of Jordan including a community lunch at the UNF’s Camp Sokil in January 2012.
 
UNF wants to know if you and your family would be interested in the UNF organizing a Feast of Jordan Celebration at Camp Sokil on January 21st2012. The celebration will include a Mass service celebrated at St. John the Baptist chapel followed by a procession to the shores of lake Simcoe for a traditional Jordan celebration. The celebration would conclude with a community lunch of traditional Ukrainian Christmas food at the Hawkestone Town Hall.

This has been a traditional UNF Event since 1972 and UNF would very much like to offer it to the community again. The proposed cost is $25-30 per adult and $10/per child under 12. All proceeds would go towards the continued expansion of UNF Education and Cultural programming for children through the DORIST and CAMP SOKIL Children’s Camp programs.

UNF is asking that you send your response via email to info@unftoronto. If you are planning to attend, please include the approximate number of people who would be attending from your family.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Canadian Multicultural Hockey Tournament.

December 27 to 30, the Ukrainian Kozaks Hockey Team will be participating in the Canadian Multicultural Hockey Tournament. Teams representing the breadth ans scope of Toronto's multicultural makeup will be taking part. The Greeks, the Japanese, Indians and Koreans, First Nations and Estonians and a host of others in the two-division, 19-team field.

The Ukrainian Kozaks will play in the Heritage Division. In their quest to win the "Canadian Cup" they will play Team Punjabi on Dec 27 at 9:10pm, the SOuth Africa Ice Boks on Dec 28 at 8:05pm and tthe Portuguese Sea Wolves later the same day at 10:15pm

The Quarter and Semi Finals are scheduled for Dec 29 and the Final game will be played on Dec 30. All games will take place at the Chesswood Arena at 4000 Chesswood Drive, Downsview.

Monday, December 12, 2011

Students rock the UCU Investment Challenge boat


The students taking part in UCU Investment Challenge

As of Friday night, Lara F., a McGill student was leading the UCU Investment Challenge and a total of 4 students were in the Top Ten. Lara stands to win a $1,000 investment into her financial future. Not a bad result. As a whole, good job students, you're outperforming your share of the field, since just under 30% of our contestants are students, but they make up 40% of the top ten. (for a chart with all of the participants click here, and for a list of all portfolio values as of December 9, click here).

We'd love to see even more students in UCU Investment Challenge 2! If you want to join, you'll have to sign up before Janaury 13, click here.

Now, for those who love charts and possibly useless statistics as much as I do, below are a couple of intereting charts. The first shows how the current Top Ten have performed relative to each other over the course of the challenge. With the exception of a couple of highs and one drastic low, they have not really strayed too far from each other.

The second chart adds in Marc M. (light bliue line) whose portfolio rose into the stratosphere on the strength of one relatively obscure stock, but it's dropped back down since. He's still in the money, which is good, but it shows just how unforgiving a mistress the market is. Still a couple of days to go though, so everything can turn around yet again.

The rise and fall of Marc M. Will the final days of the
UCU Investment Challenge see our long-time leader retake 1st place?
Or is the $1,000 prize someone else's to take home?
Read more of what's happened so far during the first UCU Investment Challenge here.






The Winds of Change ...

... keep blowing around the UCU Investment Challenge, as portfolio valuations keep adjusting, and different portfolios maneuver in and out of contention for claiming one of the prizes! This past week, we see two new top 3 portfolios, as strong weekly performances from Lara F. and Adam F. have brought them into the winners' circle at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions respectively. Heading into the last week of our competition, Lubomyr T. is holding down the No. 2 position. Now, the race is very tight, as less than $1,000 in value separates No. 2 from No.1, and less than $2,000 separates No. 3 from No.1, while Lubomyra T., in the No. 4 position, is only $1,500 behind No. 3. We are in the last week of our contest, with the closing prices on December 16th being the finishing marks for all portfolio positions. Recall, October 14th closing prices were the starting values for all positions. Markets remain quite jittery, and so it will be a very interesting finish. If you feel that we need to publish portfolio positions mid-week this week, let us know through comments to this blog - otherwise our next positing will most likely be next week once we tally up all the portfolio position values. Good luck to everyone down the home stretch!

UCU MasterCard $1,000 Shopping Spree a blast!

Andrew Kukurudza accepts his prize from Marta Tryshak
outside of Holt Renfrew's.  
This weekend, the UCU MasterCard $1,000 Shopping Spree winner, Andrew Kukurudza, headed down to the Holt Renfrew at Bay and Bloor in Toronto for a couple of hours of shopping with Marta Tryshak, interviews with the media and many feet of video tape.

He looked at jeans, shirts, casual jackets, socks, ties and many other fashion items. Marta truly is a great source of tips for guys who want to dress comfortably yet elegantly. She gave common sense advice, that let's admit it, most of us guys don't really think of when we go shopping. Andrew in turn, once he warmed up to the whole concept of having someone else do your shopping for you, asked some excellent questions eliciting advice that I am sure he will be able to use in the future to impress his fiancee with his suave new style.

We were accompanied on the trip by reporter Justyna Lewkowicz and cameraman Andriy from Kontakt, Olga Ioffe a journalist from West-East newspaper, and yours truly with a camera and a flip-vid. The 6 of us casued quite a scene at Holt's. You can see more pictures on our Facebook Page. Kontakt will run clips of the shopping trip next Saturday.

Friday, December 9, 2011

Now is the time to act - Evhen Czolij on events in Ukraine

Evhen Czolij talks about some of the difficulties inherent in
Ukraine's attempts to integrate into Europe with some
countries such as Poland, strongly supporting Ukraine,
and others like Germany and France, more interested in
cozying up to the Russian Federation rather than
supporting democracy in Eastern Europe
IF YOU MISSED THE EVENT - Svitohliad will be running a report on Evhen Czolij's talk on December 31, on OMNI 1. Show starts at 8pm.

Evhen Czolij, President of the Ukrainian World Congress spoke to a full house on Thursday, talking about the troubling directions Ukraine's government is taking in terms of democracy, rule of law, energy independence and integration into the European community. But his speech contained many positive notes too.

His core message was that not only organizations, but individuals too need to keep up the pressure on the government of Victor Yanukovych to ensure that Ukraine does not veer too far off the track towards buidling a civil society in which individuals are free from harassment and arbitrary application of laws and "administrative resources".

UCU Board Chair Eugene Roman points to a member
of the audience who just annouced she is adding another
$1,000 to the donations. Also pictured Annie Mishchenko,
Vice-Chair of the UCU Board and Evhen Czolij
Over 100 people packed the foyer of Trident Banquet Hall in the UNF building at 145 Evans. The audience came to hear what is happening in Ukraine, but more specifically how they as individuals could help. Czolij encouraged them to make their voices heard not just in angry conversations amongst themselves, but by lobbying their local MPs to make sure Canada continues to provide its strong support for the development of civil society, rule of law, and democracy in Ukraine. He also reminded people not to neglect writing letters directly to President Yanukovych, his cabinet ministers and other politcal players in Ukraine. "They pay attention to that kind of thing," he said.

Members of the UCU Board and CEO Taras Pidzamecky
(far right) with Evhen Czolij (4th from left)
The evening also turned out to be a fund-raising success for the Ukrainian World Congress. Ukrainian Credit Union Limited donated $10,000, UNF Toronto gave $1,000, UNF Toronto-West gave $1,000, UNF Sudbury $500 and UNF Ntional $500. Members of the audience donated another $14,120 for a total of just over $24,000.

In his thank you to the generosity of the people who came to the event Czolij underscored the importance of Ukrainian financial institutions to the health of the Ukrainian diaspora. "The Ukrainian credit unions in Canada and America are what makes the work of the Ukrainian World Congress possible. Without their generous financial support, we would not be able to meet our annual budget,: he said, "so I encourage you to think about that next time you are wondering where to deposit your savings or where to get a mortgage."

You can see more pictures of the event on our Facebook page. You can also watch the Kontakt broadcast next week for a report on Czolij's message. More information will appear in Noviy Shliakh (New Pathway) and Meest newspapers as well. We'll see if we can post some video footage too, no promises though, depends on the quality.


Thursday, December 8, 2011

CUCC Christmas Social

The Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce held its annual Christmas Social at the UNF Hall at 145 Evans last night. If you missed it, I would seriously recommend making a note to attend next year. CUCC did a great job lining up speakers who talked about mining and resource extraction in Ukraine from the perspective of companies that are actually on the ground in Ukraine. Plus the food and Rosewood Estates wine was great too. Kudos to Markian Silecky and John Moskalyk for organizing such a fun event.

The first speaker was Paul Bozoki, CFO of Black Iron Inc. an iron ore exploration and development company with a property near Kriviy Rih. Paul talked about the reasons his company believes they can develop a successful and profitable mine in Ukraine. You can read more about Black Iron on the eResearch site - Black Iron Reports.

Paul Bozoki, Black Iron CFO talks to Jurij Klufas of Kontakt TV.
You can watch Kontakt every Saturday on OMNI TV

The other main speaker was Zenon Potichnyj of Shelton Petroleum. His company has operations in Ukraine in the Aziv and Black Seas as well as in the Poltava region. Shelton Petroleum also has an operation in the Republic of Baskorostan.

This event, like the UCPBA Yalynka over the weekend (Yalynka photos) attracted a good mix of business folk of all ages. After the presentations, everyone headed over to the buffet table for some delicious finger foods including bite-size holubtsi (great idea whoever came up with that!) and a choice of red or white wine from Rosewood Estates newest line of wines.

John Iwaniura greets Sv. Mykolay 
The evening also had a surprise guest appearance of Sv. Mykolay (St. Nicholas) who appeared to greet everyone, wish them a Merry Christmas and remind them to be nice (or at least less naughty). He then had to run off as his sleigh was double parked in front of a fire hydrant. Later on, everyone in attendance gathered around to sing a kolyadka (Christmas carol) for the TV cameras. Group sing-alongs are a lot of fun you know.

Lyubomyra Matvias of Radio Postup
poses with a friend you can hear
Lyubomyra's show live every
Sunday 8-10pm on CIRV FM 88.9

Lesia Chyczij, Ron Chyczij
and Andriy Kostecki



Many more pictures from the CUCC Christmas Social are available on our Facebook page.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

MasterCard Shopping Spree Winner

The official winner of the $1,000 MasterCard Shopping Spree with Marta Tryshak is Andrew Kukurudza who signed up for a MasterCard at our North York branch. We will post some pictures of him on his spree next week. In the meantime congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who participated. If you thought this was a good idea that we should repeat sometime in the future, maybe in a different way and tied to a different service not just MasterCard, please let us know.

Friday, December 2, 2011

It's Hard to Keep a Good Portfolio Down

Or, in this instance, a recovering stock, as YLO, after falling by 15% on November 30th, regained much ground on December 1st, and settled a fairly flat today, but it was enough to put Marc M. back on top of the lead of our competition as Week 7 has come to a close. The race remains very tight, and is tightening up with each big market move, and looks to be heading towards a 'photo finish'! Lubomyr T. and Lubomyra T. are holding onto the number 2 and 3 spots, and their portfolios are keeping the pressure on the number 1 spot. Yet, they too can't afford to relax, as just over their shoulders await Lara F., Michael P., Walter Y. and Yuri B., who all remain very competitive and within reach of one of our three prizes come December 16.

RRSP Campaign Kick-off

Well, looks like another year is coming to a close and do you know who is getting their hands on your tax dollars? Yeah, the federal and provincial governments, that's who. But of course, many of you already know that the government has very kindly provided us all with a perfectly legal method to reduce that tax burden and save a bit more money for ourselves.

Yes, RRSP season is upon us once again! And our branch in Sudbury has kicked it off with a bang so to speak. Even the members joined in on the fun. Over the top you say? Hardly, it never ceases to amaze us how many people out there just never get around to putting any money into their RRSPs. No matter how much we or anyone else reminds them of why it makes a lot of sense. So this year we've decided to make saving in an RRSP even better by offering you a little gift if you decide to take this whole planning-for-your-retirement-while-lowering-your-taxes thing by signing up for regular pre-authorized contributions (PAC) to your RRSP.

Let someone else struggle to pay their fair share of taxes, you on the other hand know better and will no doubt be making a significant RRSP contribution this year. And if you don't have enough cash on hand? Don't worry, we will help you out with an RRSP loan at a very good rate. Come in to talk to one of our branches, we recommend Sudbury since they seem to have so much fun with RRSPs, but for most of you Sudbury is much too far of a drive, so visit one of our branches in London, Mississauga, Oshawa, St. Catharines, Thunder Bay, toronto or Windsor instead!

More pictures of Halyna modeling our RRSP-wear can be found on our Facebook page.

What a girl Wants

Victoria Shepherd, David Conroy (liver donor)
and proud mom Alison Conroy
Recently Ukrainian Credit Union was a key sponsor of "What a Girl Wants" a fundraising event for the Canadian Liver Foundation. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness about liver disease in a casual atmosphere (with firemen added into the mix).

Fighting liver disease is a noble cause in and of itself, but Ukrainian Credit Union has a bit more of a personal connection to this. One of our members, David Conroy, who is also the son of our Operations Manager Alison Conroy, was a keynote speaker at this event. He talked about his experience donating a part of his liver to save the life of his uncle Paul Boddy, who is also a UCU member.

David gave a very moving, and educational story about the experience, and even battle-hardened firemen were seen to shed a tear or two (not only are they heros, but they are softies too). And proving that good karma does indeed exist, David ended up winning the draw for a holiday to Thailand that the firemen donated to the cause.

You can learn more about the event and see more pictures in the event's photogallery. More photos are also available at Snap Downtown Toronto, including a photo of Alison with the art she won during the silent auction. 

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Upcoming Events Worth Noting (Dec-Jan-Feb)

NEW EVENTS ADDED (February 15)


Also, we've created a separate list of St. Valentine's Day events. Click here for details.

All sorts of things are happening in the community this fall. We thought we'd post info about a few of them here for you. If you have an event that UCU is supporting through sponsorship, volunteer assistance or via an ongoing relationship with your organization, please feel free to send us information to post on the blog.


December 3, 2011
Ялинка
The Ukrainian Professional and Business Club invites you to join them for the annual Yalynka, an intimate Christmas celebration featuring Rosewood Estates Wine, a group Koliada led by the musical stylings of Ivanka Slywynska and Andriy Michalchyshyn and a special guest from the Bandurist Capella. An excellent opportunity to network. For ticket information please contact UCPBA at 416-970-9639.

December 7, 2011
CUCC Christmas Social
The Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce executive invite you to the Annual Christmas Social. The event will take palce at the Trident Hall, 145 Evans on Wednesday Dec 7. The event starts off with a Meet & Greet at 6:30pm followed by a panel discussion on "Business Progress in Ukraine" featuring companies like Black Iron, Shelton Petroleum and others doing business in Ukraine. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served afterwards in the Trident Banquet hall. tickets are $20 for members, $35 for non-members. For more info call 416-253-6700 or email info@CUCC.ca.

December 8, 2011
Restoring democracy in Ukraine
An evening with Evhen Czoli. Come to the Trident Banquet Hall, 145 Evans Ave in Etobicoke, at 7pm to hear Evhen Czoli speak about the issues facing Ukrainian communities around the world as well as the World Congress of Ukrainian's efforts on behalf of restoring full democracy in Ukraine. More info here.

December 11, 2011
St. Andrew's Ukrainian Orthodox Church 60th Anniversary
Join parishioners and friends on on December 11 for a meeting with Bishop Andrij, a Holy Liturgy and a celebratory lunch. Evewnt begins at 9:30am. 1630 Dupont St. Toronto.

December 16, 2011
Різдвяна Вечірка
The Canadian Ukrainian Immigrant Aid Society is holding a Christmas party for youth 14 to 24 years of age. For more information email youth@cuias.org

December 17, 2011
Різдвяна Містерія
Join "Svitlo" at the Runnymede United Church, 432 Runnymede Road, for their Christmas Nativity Play. Two sessions at 4pm and 7pm are offered. Advance tickets may be purchased at the Bloor Branch of Ukrainian Credit Union at 2397 Bloor St. West. For more info call 416-294-7853. Tickets are $20 for adults, children are free.

December 27-30, 2011
Canadian Multinational Hockey Tournament
Watch the Ukrainian Kozaks and 18 other teams vie for the "Canadian Cup" at the Chesswood Arena in Downsview. Ukrainian Kozaks play their roundrobin games Dec 27-28 then the play-offs go from Dec 29-30. Click on the link above to read more.


December 31, 2011
Midnight in Venice
Celebrate New Year's Eve at UNF. Join friends and family at the Ukrainian National federation for the annual New year's Eve Gala. This year's theme "Midnight in Venice" will feature Canadian tenor Andrea Garofolo and an Italian themed meal. Then kick up your heels with Burya! $80/person or $600 for a table of eight. For more info email info@unftoronto.com.

January 9, 2012
Raiding & Trading on the Black Sea Steppe 
Professor Renat Holod of the University of Pennsylvania will give a talk on the burial of a "nomadic prince" in the Black Seaa Steppe. She will explore the luxurious grave goods found at the site and discuss how these objects are interpreted as expressions of power on the borders between the Mediterranean and the Eurasian worlds in the 13th century. The event will feature live music and culinary tastes of the Black Sea region. The event will take place at 17 Church St. in Toronto at 6pm. Click here for more on the event.

January 13, 2012
St. Elias Malanka
St. Elias the Prophet Ukrainian Catholic Parish invites you to join them at Malanka featuring "Stare Misto". Tickets are $50 per person and are available at the St. Elias Church Bookstore. Childcare at a cost of $10/child or $25/family is available. For more information please call Ulana 289-971-0220 or Iryna 416-245-5621.

January 14, 2012
Malanka Plus
St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic Parish invites you to join them at Malanka Plus, a celebration of family. This annual (and very popular - hurry tickets are going fast) statrts at 5pm at Le Treport, 1075 The Queensway  in Mississauga. Learn more about the Parish and the new churhc they are building here: http://www.tserkva.ca/

Toronto PLAST Malanka
Come celebrate 100 years of Plast at the Toronto Plast Malanka at the Liberty Grand. Cocktails statrt at 6pm. Zolota Bulava and Vorony will provide the entertainment. More info on Facebook. Or watch the promotional video!

Mississauga CYM Malanka 2012
Over 1500 Ukrainian young adults from Toronto and across Canada and the U.S. will take part in this formal evening of fine food, good friends, and excellent music at the spectacular Mississauga Convention Centre. Start the evening off with our cocktail hour featuring delicious hors d’heuvres. The night continues with a gourmet meal, open bar, and non-stop dancing until 2am to the sounds of the bands Zahrava and Hrim. More info here: http://www.cymmissmalanka.com/

Наша Маланка
The Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Toronto invites you to Nasha Malanka. Dinner with wine and champagne and a midnight snack included in your $80 ticket price. For more information call Daria Luciw 416-516-2443.

January 15, 2012
Community Sviata Vecheria at UNF
The Ukrainian Women's Organization, Toronto Branch invites you to an afternoon with your friends and family at the UNF Hall at 145 Evans Av. 2pm January 15. Tickets are $25/person ($10 / child under 12). For more information please call Anne Ferdun 416-249-0907 or email info@unftoronto.com

Christmas Benefit Concert
Levada Ukrainian Women's Choir & Orion Ukrainian Men's Choir are holding a concert to raise funds for the building of the St. Joseph's Ukrainian Cathloic Church, Oakville. The concert will be held at 4:00PM at the Church of the Resurrection, 1 Resurrection Road, Etobicoke (Bloor west of Islington). For ticket information please call 416-239-1685.

January 21, 2012
Malanka 2012
The Canadian Lemko Association invites you to Malanka 2012 at the Crystal Grand at 2110 Dundas St. East, Unit 4, Mississauga. Dance to the tunes of Chervona Ruta. Dinner, open bar, champagne and more is included in your $120 ticket price. For more info email info@lemko-olk.com or visit http://www.lemko-olk.com/.

Malanka in Kitchener-Waterloo
Malanka 2012 will take place at the UCCenter at 15 Michael St. in Kitchener. Live music by Mozaika, dinner, dancing and door prizes included in your ticket price.  Adults $45 ($50 at the door), students $35 ($40 at the door),

14th Annual Windsor Barvinok Malanka
Featuring a live dance performance by Barvoinok Dancers at 6pm! Music by Dvakolors, dinner, raffle prizes, 50/50 draw. For information on tickets call Kim Gossling 519-735-7354. The Malanka will be held at the Serbian Centre, 6770 Tecumseh Road East. doors open at 5:15pm.

St. Catharines Malanka
The annual  Malanka, a Ukrainian New Year's Eve Gala Dinner and Dance, is taking place on Saturday January 21, at the Ukrainian Black Sea Hall on Welland Ave in St. Catharines. The best Ukrainian dance band Zirka is playing, the food is - well you know that Ukrainians have fantastic food, and the atmosphere is welcoming - we always have a vibrant and eclectic mix of people. Tickets are $75 per person, and include a full course meal with wine, midnight buffet and a chance to dance the night away. Contact Zenon Chytra at zchytra@gmail.com or http://www.blackseahall.ca/ and let him know how many tickets you need.

January 25, 2012
Hopaksercise
The next session of Hopaksercise, the excercise sensation that is taking the world by storm, is starting January 25.  All the details about costs, location, dates etc. can be found here on the Hopaksercise page.

January 28, 2012
Koliada Christmas Carol Concert
The church choir of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church (4 Bellwoods Avenue at Queen St. West) invites everyone to its family-friendly 6th annual Koliada concert. The concert will be held after the evening church service (approx. 6:45pm) on January 28. Pictures from last year's concert are here: 5th Annual Koliada. Coffee will be served in the church basement after the concert.

January 29, 2012
Ukrainian Lunch in London
Lunch will be served at the London Ukrainian Centre (247 Adelaide Street South) Sunday Jan 29 at 12:30pm. A $10 ticket gets you unlimited access to delicious Ukrainian food. The meal will be followed by traditional dancing and games.

February 4, 2012
MUSA Volleyball Tournament
The McMaster Ukrainian Students' Association (MUSA) holds an annual volleyball tournament to encourage teamwork, networking and friendly competition among Ukrainian students' clubs. The 10th edition of this event will be held February 4, 2012 at the Ancaster High School. The tournament starts in the morning as is followed by a cocktail and awards ceremony (held at St. Vladimir Church Hall in Hamilton. For details email macmusa1280@gmail.com or call Augustine Krawczenko (MUSA President) 905-537-9310, or Nicholas Wesolowski (MUSA Vice-President) 905-906-4167.

February 5, 2012
Benefit Luncheon with MPs
A benefit luncheon featuring Bernard Trottier (Etobicoke-Lakeshore), Ted Opitz (Etobicoke-Centre) and Bob Dechert (Mississauga-Erindale) will be held at 2-5pm at the Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Community Centre on Horner Ave. in Etobicoke. Proceeds will benefit the establishment of the a memorial to the victims of totalitarian communism in Canada's National Capital Region. For info and tickets please call 416-763-7002 or 647-272-7661.

February 11, 2012
St. Valentine's СУМ Родинна Забава
At the Taras Schevchenko Hall on Horner in Etobicoke. Starts at 5:30pm. More info on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/344358282251911

St. Valentine's Day with Zirka
At St. Nicholas Ukrainian Church in Hamilton. Doors open at 7:30, Zirka comes on at 8:30pm. For info call Morris Hucal 905-662-8138 or visit Facebook https://www.facebook.com/events/229077733840273/

Kidzapalooza
The Oak Park Neighbourhood Centre will be holding Kidzapalooza at the new hall of the St. Joseph Ukrainian Catholic Church in Oakville. The church will be participating by providing delicious baked goods and UCU will be serving up some coffee. Visit the Oak pArk Neighbourhood Centre website for more details opnc.ca. 

February 12, 2012
Family Fun Day Zabava
The folks at St. Mary's Church Sadochok in Mississauga (3625 Cawthra Rd.) invite you to an afternoon of fun for the whole family on Sunday February 12 from 2pm to 5pm. DJ, dancing, arts & crafts, tattoo station and silent auction. The $15 ticket includes refreshments and a Valentine treat. Call 905-804-8068 for tickets and information.


February 15, 2012
SFI Speaker Series
The Strategic Foresight Institute and the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services invite the community to meet with Yaroslav Davydovych, former head of the Ukrainian Central Elections Commission. He will speak on the topic of the upcoming elections in Russia and Ukraine: Threats and Predictions. The event statrts at 7:00pm at the Ukrainian Social Services building 2445 Bloor St. W Toronto at the corner of Jane St. Tickets are $20, students free. For info please call Wolodymyr Derzhko at 416-819-9667 or email wderzhko@pathcom.com.


February 16, 2012
Waterloo Ukrainian Students Association General Meeting
The meeting will be held at 121 University Av East Unit 100. There's a rumour that pyrohy from the local Orthodox church will be served (yum). Topics on discussion will include the Beer & Bowling night and the upcoming SUSK Congress. More info on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/events/170969039679762/

February 17, 2012
Ukie Club Night at Tryst
7 Ukrainian Students' Clubs across the GTA have banded together to organize an evening at the Tryst club in downtown Toronto with music, dancing and all the rest. More info on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/events/227054034045382

February 18, 2012
St. Valentine's Day Dance
At St. Mary's Ukrainian Church in Mississauga. Starts at 7pm. More info on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/218839964874577


February 22, 2012
CUCC Speaker's Forum Female Entrepreneurs in Ukraine
The Canada-Ukraine Chamber of Commerce invites you to attend a speaker's forum on "Female Entrepreneurism in Current Day Ukraine. The event will be moderated by Renata Roman and will feature Anna Kisil of JSC ROsan and Katherine Vellinga-Koszarny of MCM Bevco. event stats at 6:30pm at the Golden Lion Restaurant, 15 Canmotor Dr. in Etobicoke. Tickets are $20 per person and include appetizers.


February 25, 2012
Barvinok Pre-Lent Fundraiser
Billed as "Your LAST CHANCE TO DANCE before lent starts! Zapovid, Torontula and DJ Unlisted will be performing at the Golden Lion's King's Garden room. More info on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/events/353349131350321/

Документальний фільм "Двері Лемківщини"
The Canadian premiere of the film "Двері Лемківщини" (At the Gates of Lemkoland) will take place at the Cine Starz theatre at 377 Burnhamthorpe Rd E. in Mississauga. Film starts at 5pm. For more info call 905-629-2627, 905-586-1456 or visit the Canadian Lemko Association website.

February 27, 2012
Last Chance Zabava before Great Lent!
The Parish of St. Demetrius Ukrainian Orthodox Church (3338 Lakeshore Blvd. W. in Etobicoke) invites you to come enjoy an evening og music and dance featuring Dzvin. Tickets are only $25 and include a hot meal and live music. For tickets and information call Halyna at the church office 416-255-7506.

February 28, 2012
UCPBA Speaker Series
The Ukrainian Canadian Professional Business Association of Toronto invites you to the next event in their Speaker Series featuring The Honourable Lydia M. Olah Superior Court of Justice. The event will take place at Brassai 461 King St. West Toronto at 6:30pm. For info or tickets, please call Stephan Luciw 416-898-0625 or Lesia Kostecki 416-543-9247 or email ucpbator@gmail.com. Netwroking, appetizers and cash bar.

Restoring democracy in Ukraine - an evening with Evhen Czolij

Українська Кредитова Спілка Лимитед запрошує своїх членів та українську громаду на зустріч з президентом Світового Конґресу Українців Евгеном Чолієм, під час якої він розповість  про діяльність Світового Конґресу Українців щодо євроінтеграції  України та захисту людських і національних прав українців. Вечірка відбудется в бенкетному залі "Тризуб" в четвер, 8 грудня 2011 р., о 7:00 вечора. По завершенні планується кава і солодке. Вступ за добровільними датками.


On the occasion of Evhen Czolij’s return from his visits with Ukrainian communities and government leaders in France, Germany, Argentina and Brazil, Ukrainian Credit Union Limited has invited him to speak with our members and the general community about issues facing Ukrainian communities around the world, and the World Congress’ efforts on behalf of restoring full democracy in Ukraine.

Mr. Czolij’s presentation will be in the foyer of the Trident Banquet Hall at Evans on Dec 8th and will start at 7 p.m., followed by a question and answer period. Coffee and sweets will be served after the presentation.

Evhen Czolij is the President of the Board of the Ukrainian Caisses Populaires in Montreal.   Notwithstanding his professional responsibilities as a lawyer in a Montreal law firm, he spends countless volunteer hours working for the World Congress all over the world.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Everything Is Up for Grabs!

A spectacular rally in equity markets today, as 6 central banks have cut US dollar lending rates to financial instutions, especially in Europe, helping raise liquidity in markets, energizing bulls to step up and bid the market considerably higher. Across North American, equity indices rose over 4%, with the S&P 500 Composite up 4.33% while the TSX Composite was up 4.02%. Not a bad way to end the month of November, which was looking quite dire given all the difficulties Europe is having putting a coordinated strategy in place to avoid contagion from fast rising sovereign debt yields. This has put our contest into a very interesting situation, as the leader board has changed fairly dramatically in one day. To start the final 16 days of our contest, we have a new portfolio in the number one position, that being Lubomyra T. In second place, we have Lubomyr T. and holding onto the third spot is Lara F. (a first time for Lara in the top three). Just under $2,000 separates 3rd from 1st place, while in 4th spot, Yuri B., is only behind by another $2,000. Anything can happen over the next 2 and half weeks, so stay engaged!

Monday, November 28, 2011

A Dog Fight With Three Weeks Left!



The UCU Investment Challenge has turned into a dog fight, with two portfolios battling for 1st spot, and four to five others keep the pressure on for 3rd, making this a very exciting battle to the finish line! We are entering week number 7 of a 9 week contest, and the jockeying for position is intensifying. Currently, our long standing No. 1, Marc M. remains in the lead, but Alexander R. has run up fast and furious over the past three weeks, and is in a very close 2nd position. Only $2Kseparates the two portfolios as of November 25th. Yuri B., who's portfolio has been a very consistent performer throughout the first 7 weeks has entered the winners circle and stands in 3rd spot. That said, less $500 separates 3rd and 4th spot, where Lubomyra T. is currently positioned. As Yogi Berra said, "The game ain't over 'til it's over!" Stay tuned as we head into the final 1/3 of the competition.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Week Five - The Race is Tightening Up!

With apologies to our participants and followers, we have finally posted the updated portfolio positions as of the close on Friday, November 18th. We had four portfolios entering trades on the 17th, and so we took some time to get those marked and entered into the portfolios. What a brutal week it was, as the TSX gave up over 300 points to close down 3.1% on the week, while the TSX Venture was down 2.0% on the week and the S&P 500 Index was down 3.8% on the week. This has brought about a re-alignment once again of our leader group. Marc M. remains at the top, but his portfolio has come down a lot and is up only 37% relative to the start of our competition. We have a new portfolio in 2nd place, Lubomyr T., while Lubomyra T. is in the top 5 for the first time, gaining 3rd place as of November 18th. The biggest gainer on the week was Alexander R., whose portfolio was up 13%, taking him from a negative 5% return since the start of our contest to November 11th, to a positive 7% at November 18th. He is now holding 5th place, while Michael P. is in 4th place. The competition is becoming tighter as many portfolios continue to jockey for position week to week.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Holodomor Awareness Week

Holodomor commemorative display at our Windsor branch  
This week is National Holodomor Awareness Week. This is an annual event held in memory of the millions of people who perished in the Soviet-engineered famine that devastated Ukraine and other territories in the Soviet Union that contained large Ukrainian ethnic populations. Stalin ordered the devastation of the Ukrainian farming class in order to break the back of a potential anti-Soviet backlash brewing amongst a population unhappy with Soviet economic and national-assimilationist policies. Below is the text of the press release sent out on the occasion by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. For a link to a list of events being held across the country this month, please scroll down to the bottom of the press release.


National Holodomor Awareness Week
November 21 - 27, 2011

Canadians will unite in remembrance November 21-27 during the fourth annual National Holodomor Awareness Week.   Events across the country will commemorate one of the most heinous crimes in the history of mankind and honour its victims which number in the millions.  

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) continues its efforts to secure this genocide’s rightful place in the new publicly-funded Canadian Museum for Human Rights.  Recognized by the Parliament of Canada as genocide of the Ukrainian people, this year's Holodomor anniversary will be marked with a variety of commemorative programs and the participation of Holodomor survivors.

Understanding the horrible impact of famine on a country and its people, the Ukrainian Canadian community reached out to the Somali community in their time of need, raising over $110,000 for African Famine relief, presenting a cheque to UNICEF on October 28.

Throughout Canada, installations of black flags at prominent city locations will pay tribute to the millions of children, women and men who were victims of the Soviet regime's ruthless genocidal policy to eliminate the Ukrainian nation. 

A Commemorative Ceremony organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in cooperation with the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group will be held November 22 on Parliament Hill.

Saturday, November 26 marks International Holodomor Memorial Day and Holodomor Memorial Day in Canada. We urge Canadians will honour the memory of the victims with a moment of silence at 7:32 p.m. (19:32) and light candles of remembrance in their homes.  Memorial services will be celebrated in churches across the country on Sunday, November 27.

For a list of events across the country visit www.ucc.ca/holodomor/events.htm

For further information Darla Penner,  204-942-4627, dpenner@ucc.ca

Yarmarok 2011 is a big hit in Mississauga

Yarmarok 2011 wrapped up over the weekend and was it ever a success. This year St. Mary's parish celebrated the 40th anniversary of this pre-Christmas sale and cultural event. Ukrainian Credit Union Limited was once again proud to be a sponsor of this event that brought out many parishioners, family, friends, local residents and political bigwigs such as Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion.

Ron Cahute emceed the show and Barvinok dancers provided the main entertainment on stage. The food as always was delicious and comforting.

Ukrainian Credit Union introduced the second edition of the UCU Investment Challenge at Yarmarok this year, signing up a couple of dozen participants. However, the second round of the competition does not start till January 13, so there is still plenty of time for you to sign up if you want to participate. You can find all sorts of news and information about the first round of the Investment Challenge here.

We have posted a lot of photos from the event on our Facebook page.

Jazz and some wine - a good mix

The Jazz on the Vine event this past Saturday turned out to be a lot of fun. The Six Points Jazz Orchestra played the night away while people chatted, danced, sampled some great wines and dined on an excellent array of cheeses, crackers, spreads and other snackables. Whoever selected the cheeses for the buffet table did a great job!

Six Points Jazz Orchestra during their first set of the evening
The event was held in support of Erinoaks Kids which provides treatment, rehabilitation and support services to more than 11,700 children with disabilities and their families each year. You can read more about Erinoaks on their website.

The band really had their groove on, the youngest fan in attendance, Demyan, age almost 7, was quoted as saying, "Now that's what I call jazz!." Of course he said the same thing on the way home in the car when a White Stripes song came on, so perhaps he still has a bit of ways to go before he becomes a seasoned music critic. Nonetheless, he, and the others in attendance were very pleased by it all.

You can see more pictures of the event on our Facebook page.

Six Points Jazz Orchestra features Roman Litwinchuk, COO of UCU on the drums. the band can be seen at occasional jams at local establishments such as Gate 403 on Roncesvalles. Check out the restaurant's calendar for their next appearance.

Support for the Ukrainian Catholic University

UCU Director Andre Sochaniwsky (left), Eugene Roman,
Chair of the UCU Board (3rd from left), and Taras Pidzamecky,
UCU CEO (right) present Fr. Gudziak of the Ukrainian
Catholic University a cheque for $5,000. (Photo courtesy
of New Pathway)
Last Friday (November 11), representatives of the Ukrainian Catholic University spoke to Torontonians gathered at an event organized by the Ukrainian Catholic Education Foundation (UCEF) and the Toronto Friends of the Ukrainian Catholic University. UCEF is the latest charity to sign up to the ChangeIt program offered by UCU, so if you are interested in supporting them financially please read more here: ChangeIt.

Father Borys Gudziak, rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv and Yaroslav Rushschyshyn, a member of the University's Senate along with several other speakers addressed the audience in the auditorium of the Plast Toronto Huculak Centre. You can read more about the event here: Building a University

The University, along with other leading educational institutions in Ukraine, have been under intense pressure to fall in line with the government's policies on education, language, and identity in Ukraine. It is one of the many elements of civil society in Ukraine that is resisting the pressure to conform and fighting for a pluralistic society.

The intent of the meeting was to inform attendees of what is happening at the University and in its environment. The goal was to raise awareness as well as funds to help the University continue its work unmolested. An article in Kyiv Post linked here details some of the funds that were raised. Ukrainian Credit Union Limited is proud to have had the opportunity to contribute $5,000 to this worthy cause, as we believe that a stable and democratic Ukraine that respects the rights of its citizens is the key to peace and economic development for all the nations of the former soviet bloc.

You can see more pictures of the event on Facebook.