by John Streit

WEST ENDERS STAND WITH UKRAINE
(click photos to enlarge)

The Ukrainian flag flying over Denman Street *(Milan Streit Photo)*

You see them stuck to West End apartment windows, attached to balcony railings, or flying high over our neighborhood - blue and yellow Ukrainian flags.

The blue is said to represent the vast sky and the yellow represents the wheat fields of the European country. Today, Russian cruise missiles and artillery blast across the sky while vast tracts of farmer’s fields lay mined or dotted with craters with the annual spring planting season beginning. And despite this war being so far away, Russia’s horrific and illegal invasion of its neighboring country has hit many in our community hard.

The war is prompting some West Enders to take action, with wonderful and inspiring results.

West Ender Boyan Blocka is a third-generation Ukrainian Canadian who comes from a family of proud Ukrainian dancers. “My grandparents danced. My parents met through dance. My mother, Marie Nychka started a Ukrainian Dance School and a professional Ukrainian dance ensemble called Tavria and has won the Order of Saskatchewan and many other awards for her efforts. As a child, the first thing that ever inspired me was seeing an old photo of my dad doing split jumps. Inspired by him and the passion of my mother’s Ukrainian dancers I myself danced for 28 years - touring extensively with professional Ukrainian ensembles before retiring from dance in 2001,” he says.

Boyan Blocka doing the “Shumka”. *(Photo courtesy of Boyan Blocka)*

Like many of us, Blocka has been following the extensive coverage of the war and it has affected him deeply. “I’m not an overly emotional person, but for the first time in my 48 years of life, with Ukraine, I found myself regularly crying watching the news, and needing to take sleeping aids just to fall asleep. I have a degree in archaeology and have always been a history buff, and in this war I see history repeating itself and the existential angst terrifies me. From this, my consumption of news and analysis has been so rampant that my family finally had to stage an ‘intervention’ for me. My 13-year-old son forced me to watch ‘cat’ videos - surprisingly they helped,” Blocka says.

Despite some temporary relief, he felt himself continuing to spiral downwards due to the seemingly constant atrocities of the conflict. That’s when his screenwriter/producer friend Christian Betley called and asked if he wanted to do a stand-up comedy fundraiser for Ukraine. “I guess he, like many of us, were feeling similarly depressed, but he had the presence of mind to do something about it,” Blocka says.

His response, of course, was “hell yes!”

Over just 30 days, Blocka and Betley both went on an “Elon Muskian” (volunteer version) around-the-clock organizational and logistical bender consisting of sleepless nights shamelessly emailing and calling everyone they could for help. “It's been a combination of sprints and marathons, with all of us volunteering our time and our visas to figure things out. I used to wonder why Christian had ‘raccoon eyes’ (he’s a movie producer by day, so fatigue comes with the territory), now I know as I have them, too!” he says.

Vancouver comedian Peter Kelamis is a friend of Betley’s and reached out to seven stand-up acts to volunteer their efforts. From there, prospective theatres were contacted, a production team was assembled and a social media push began. “I created our brand and website with my team (I run a consultancy with my wife) and aligned our group with Rose Charities (the CRA registered charity for whom we’ve raised our first tranche of funds) and then in turn helped Rose Charities find projects to fund for and in Ukraine. It got easier each step of the way because the harder we worked the more we believed and I think that feeling has become contagious,” Blocka says.

All their begging, wrangling, and promoting came together in ‘1 Night Stand for Ukraine’ at the York Theatre in East Vancouver on April 9. “We sold out not one but two comedy concerts and received overwhelming support from every portion of the public. Not bad for not even existing as an organization 30 days prior,” Blocka says.

The grassroots comedy fundraiser has been anything but a joke. “Through Rose Charities we’ve sent a medical and essentials container to a hospital in Lviv, Ukraine with a Doctor from Calgary. Sent as part of a wider Canadian charitable initiative called the ‘Corridor of Hope,’ the container we sent held about $300,000 worth of donated insulin and other essentials,” Blocka says.

Blocka and his team aren’t done yet. “For our next efforts, we’re helping boots on the ground humanitarian relief initiatives in Ukraine. That could be everything from teams making food and bringing supplies to bomb shelters, to volunteers risking their lives to evacuate children from hotspots. We’re also investigating how best to help refugees who’ve come to Canada or abroad. Overall, our major thrust continues to be helping refugees, children and families impacted by the war in Ukraine,” he adds.

The ‘1 Night Stand for Ukraine’ fundraiser is also going Hollywood. “We’ve taken what we’ve learned from our sold-out shows in Vancouver and we’re raising the stakes. Our next concert is in Los Angeles on May 5 and features Darrell Hammond, the longest tenure alum from Saturday Night Live,” Blocka says. Plans are also underway to do more shows in BC, Alberta, India, and Israel.

Gordon Neighbourhood House makes a statement. (John Streit Photo)

Large placards featuring Ukraine’s blue and yellow colours adorn the front of Gordon Neighbourhood House on Broughton Street where Siobhan Powlowski is executive director. “Personally, I am Ukrainian and Irish by background. My Ukrainian family historically were from the Kamianets Podilskyi region, and now living around Odesa,” Powlowski says.

Interestingly, Gordon Neighbourhood House has long had a connection to Ukraine. “The local Ukrainian community has always been very good to Gordon House. The Ukrainian community practically ran our Thrift Store for years, and even ran an annual Thrift Store fashion show! The friendship between members of the Ukrainian community and our staff runs deep. Ukrainian volunteerism and generosity have really helped us out in our moment of need, and now it is our responsibility and honor to reciprocate in any way we can,” Powlowski says.

She is hoping to have some of her relatives come to stay with her here in Vancouver for a while. In the early days of the invasion, Powlowski took time off to get her bearings and help her family get to Canada. “When I returned to Gordon House, the staff had put up the flags and murals. I was in tears. At that time, like many other Ukrainians, I was keeping relatives company through WhatsApp as the air sirens ran through the night. I sent a photo to my cousin to boost her spirits, and she said this: ““The support of every person on earth gives me strength and hope that I am not alone.””

PowIowski continues to send photos to relatives of every Ukrainian flag in the West End she sees, “it shares a message of hope when the words run out.”

Meantime, Gordon Neighbourhood House is doing a number of things to help people connected to the ongoing and brutal war. “In the early days of the conflict, we provided a safe space for the Ukrainian community to meet and attend local rallies together. Our counseling program is providing priority access for members of our community affected by war, whether in Ukraine or in other parts of the world. This builds on our history as we worked with community leaders to host a Ukrainian-Russian friendship group back in 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea. In the coming weeks, we will be making support available to new Ukrainians as they arrive (e.g. language classes). We will also be launching a series of social events aimed at bringing people together to share food, care, and support. Like many initiatives at Gordon, this will be volunteer-led (we are not funded as a settlement agency), so we will be relying on our community to help out,” she says.

Powlowski says Gordon Neighbourhood House can really use your help and skills during this crisis. “We are looking for volunteers willing to teach English, help cook for social dinners, and provide company and relationships to new Ukrainians. If you know of Ukrainians arriving in the West End, don’t hesitate to put them in touch. Let’s open our arms,” she says.

Another direct way of offering immediate assistance is through the website Ukrainetakeshelter.com. “It is a safe way to provide shelter to verified Ukrainians arriving in Vancouver, whether on a short term or long term basis. The process for getting a Canadian visa is long and complicated, so refugees are only just starting to arrive - this is when our work as a community begins,” Powlowksi says.

For Boyan Blocka, the newest war in Europe feels like a tipping point. “Ukraine is like a geopolitical and humanitarian dam that needs to be bolstered at all costs by everyone; otherwise, its collapse will wash away many, many more. As one of the major wheat baskets of the world, it is critical we help Ukraine through this, otherwise many other countries will needlessly suffer. This immensity of suffering and humanitarian challenge means that the response the world must offer needs to be multi-level, broad, and sustained.” he says. The former Shumka dancer (who can still nail a high kick) adds “so while I don’t speak a word of Ukrainian, or even know anyone in Ukraine - I feel it. And if anyone asks what ‘Ukrainian’ feels like, I’d say - freedom. It feels like freedom because that’s what dance embodies as well,” he says.

Ukrainian flag light display on Davie. *(Ewan Streit Photo)*

Siobhan Powlowski says the war will be remembered as a “dark stain on human history” and wants to look back knowing she did everything she could to help. “I encourage everyone to read up on the Holodomor. This is not the first genocide Russia has committed in Ukraine. Under the Holodomor, somewhere between four and 12 million Ukrainians starved in a famine manufactured by the USSR. The current conflict is another mark in a long history of colonialism and brutality - you cannot understand the current conflict without some knowledge of the historical context. The Netflix film Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom is also a great resource to understand the more modern context. Every Ukrainian family has stories — the bravery that you see from Ukrainians comes from a deep knowledge of what is at stake,” Powlowski believes.

Powlowski’s final message to West Enders? “If nothing else, if you support Ukrainian people please put up a flag in your window. I know I’ll be wandering around the neighborhood with my cousin, and we notice every single one. It might not mean something to the world, but I can assure you it will mean the world to someone.”

If you’re looking to help, please go to https://www.canadahelps.org/en/donate-to-ukraine/

A CLOSER LOOK FOLLOW-UP
The City Answers Some Public Benefits Questions

In April’s “A Closer Look” we dug deep into the Public Benefits Strategy portion of the West End Community Plan. Here are some follow-up questions answered by the City of Vancouver:

Is the PBS still "generally on track" to deliver amenities?

Since the adoption of the West End Plan and the West End Public Benefits Strategy in 2013, the West End has seen significant progress on the delivery of a number of community amenities. Notable highlights include strong progress toward social and secured market rental housing targets, transportation, and outdoor public space improvements. Some of the more substantive and complex projects - including the West End Community Centre and West End Waterfront Parks and Beach Avenue Master Plan - are being initiated now, and will be delivered over multi-year planning, design, funding, and development phases. Staff will be addressing community center renewal prioritization in the upcoming ten-year Capital Strategic outlook.

2. Population growth in the West End is skyrocketing according to the latest census. Is the PBS keeping up?

The West End Plan anticipated growth in the neighborhood with its implementation, and the PBS was developed to support the growing need for amenities, infrastructure, and services. In response to changing development trends and neighborhood needs, staff will continue to monitor the implementation of the PBS through an adaptive and responsive approach.

3. Is there a West End PBS or West End Community Plan update coming before City Council soon for 2022?

We are not planning to prepare another comprehensive update for 2022, as we are awaiting the completion of the Vancouver Plan process, which will provide further direction for the coordination of plan and public benefit delivery monitoring and reporting city-wide, moving forward. However, we do regularly update the WE PBS Tracker, which is a higher-level summary of PBS delivery and is included in Rezoning Reports for the area.

4. TWEJ sees several PBS projects in the pipeline on the COV website including West End Community Hub, Imagine English Bay Waterfront, and (completed) Calisthenics Park, anything new added to that list?

There have been no new additions to this list of projects, since the publication of the 2021 WE PBS Progress Report, in August 2021.

For more on the West End Community Plan and Public Benefits strategy, please go to the official city website.

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John Streit was born, raised, and is still a resident of the West End. He is a news anchor at 980 CKNW.