Ukraine Today - Speakers Corner

WILD HORNETS Charitable Fund is Ukraine’s top nonprofit drone maker. Our drones have inflicted $2.5 billion (Canadian) in estimated enemy losses. They include ground-breaking new STING anti-Shahed drones that are 100% funded by donations and help shield Ukrainians from putin’s nightly terror barrages killing civilians. Relying almost completely on donations, Wild Hornets went from making our first two FPV drones in a volunteer’s garage last year to 2,000 a month today. Production growth has averaged 40% a month. Working closely with Ukraine’s most elite drone units, we’ve innovated Ukraine’s largest FPV drone—the Queen Hornet—and interceptor drones that are downing Moscow’s spy drones, which the invaders use to target strikes on Ukrainian civilians and other sites far behind the front. Website: dykishershni.com Twitter: x.com/wilendhornets

MARCUS KOLGA is an international award-winning documentary filmmaker, journalist, digital communications strategist, and a leading Canadian expert on Russian and Central and Eastern European issues. Marcus has a focus on communications and media strategies as tools of foreign policy and defence, and continues to write commentary for national and international media, including the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. He is the co-founder and publisher of UpNorth.eu, an online magazine that features analysis and political and cultural news from the Nordic and Baltic region. He frequently comments on Russian, Eastern and Central European issues on North American radio and television and at foreign policy conferences. Marcus is involved with international human rights organizations and national political organizations. In 2008, he spearheaded an effort to make August 23rd, the anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a Canadian National Day of Remembrance for the European victims of Nazism and communism - Black Ribbon Day - by drafting a parliamentary resolution that was introduced and passed by Hon. Bob Rae. In 2015, Marcus was awarded the Estonian Order of The White Star by President Toomas Hendrik Ilves

Born on his mother’s birthday, August 21, 1961, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Bryan became the third of six children that God entrusted to his parents, Joseph and Florence (Niedzielski) Bayda. Bishop Bryan particularly loves writing songs, and his Redemptorist formation deepened his thirst for preaching as he encourages others to be Missionary Disciples. He professed final vows in 1986 and was ordained a priest on May 30, 1987. On May 2, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as Bishop of the Eparchy of Saskatoon for Ukrainians covering the province of Saskatchewan, and he was ordained and installed as Eparch of Saskatoon on June 27, 2008. The motto on his coat of arms is based on Acts 1:8: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and You Will Be My Witnesses.” On November 9, 2019 he was additionally appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada while remaining bishop for Saskatchewan. On June 27, 2022, he was installed as Eparch of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada, releasing him from his responsibilities in Saskatoon. Since 2008, he has served on the Canadian Catholic Conference of Bishops as a member of the Doctrine Commission and Commission for Justice and Peace. In July of 2024, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church consented to his appointment by Patriarch Sviatoslav as head of the Patriarchal Commission of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church for Youth Affairs. A special devotion to Mary as the Mother of Perpetual Help and as Our Lady of Guadalupe sustains him in his Ukrainian Catholic faith since she is key in understanding the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Ukraine In The Flame Of Freedom: Requiem for War-Torn Cities / Performance by KOLO.fashion based on the poetry by Uliana Hlynchak and Military Forces of Ukraine fighter Anatoliy Anatoliy "KOLO.fashion" is the community of Ukrainian traditions, crafts and arts, founded in 2023 Toronto by Ukrainian couturier Tania Shakhmatova Owner of clothing and footwear brands "Tania's dresses", "KOLO.fashion", "Y. Bandera" Laureate of the art project "Art Expo Bazel", Switzerland, 2024 Laureate of the international art competition "Golden time talent", Great Britain, 2025 Laureate All-Ukrainian project "Glorios Ukrainians 2024" Laureate of the All-Ukrainian Prize "Treasures of Ukraine 2024" Cultural diplomat of Ukraine

Kids Acting Studio “ACT & SHINE” is more than just an after-school program – it’s a creative space where children can unlock their full potential. Here, they learn to be leaders and team players, building confidence while developing their vocal and acting skills. We believe that every child is a star — they just need a little help to shine!

MARSHA SKRYPUCH is an internationally bestselling children’s author whose books span a century of wars from a kid's view, concentrating on those stories that have been erased by oppressive regimes. Her best-known book is Making Bombs for Hitler, about a Ukrainian child forced into slave labour in WWII. Her most recent is the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy, set during the first year of Russia's current war on Ukraine. She has received death threats and honours for her writing. Marsha lives in Brantford, Ontario, and you can visit her online at calla.com Sponsored by Canada Council for the Arts and The Writers’ Union of Canada

MARCI SHORE began a position as Chair in European Intellectual History at the Munk School for Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto in 2025. She was previously a professor of history at Yale University; she has also been a regular visiting fellow at the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen in Vienna since 2004. In spring 2025, she guest curated, together with Oksana Forostyna, the Kyiv Book Arsenal with the theme “Everything is Translation.” She is the translator of Michał Głowiński’s The Black Seasons and the author of Caviar and Ashes: A Warsaw Generation’s Life and Death in Marxism, 1918-1968, The Taste of Ashes: The Afterlife of Totalitarianism in Eastern Europe. A new edition of her third book, The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution was published in 2024. Her articles and essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Foreign Policy, Eurozine, The Atlantic, and The Yale Review, The New York Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. She is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship for her book project about phenomenology in East-Central Europe, tentatively titled In Pursuit of Certainty Lost: Central European Encounters on the Way to Truth.

VICTOR MALAREK has been a journalist for more than four decades. In 2017, he retired from CTV’s investigative current affairs show W5, where he was the senior investigative reporter for 17 years. Often described as a tough, crusading reporter, Malarek began his career in journalism as a copy boy at Weekend Magazine in Montreal in 1968. Two years later, he joined The Montreal Star as a police reporter. A year later, he broke a front-page story that would set the stage for his move into the world of investigative journalism. It involved the suicides of three teenage boys who hanged themselves with skate laces in their cells at a sorely mismanaged Montreal juvenile detention center over the Christmas holidays. In 1976, Canada’s National Newspaper, The Globe and Mail, recruited Malarek, where his work as an investigative reporter over 14 years at the paper garnered an unprecedented three Michener Awards for meritorious public service journalism. In 1990, the CBC hired Malarek as a co-host of its current affairs show, The Fifth Estate, where he was awarded a Gemini in 1997 as Canada’s top broadcast journalist, and, in 2000, a fourth Michener Award. A decade later, Malarek joined CTV’s W5 as its senior investigative reporter, where his documentaries garnered four Canadian Screen Awards. In his 27 years in television, he has worked on more than 300 investigative documentaries. Malarek has reported from across Canada, the United States, and the European Union, as well as Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, Kurdistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, South-East Asia, and Central and South America. Malarek is the author of six non-fiction books, including his internationally acclaimed The Natashas: Inside the Global Sex trade, which has been published in a dozen countries, as well as his best-selling autobiography “Hey Malarek!” which was adapted into a 1998 feature film simply titled: Malarek, and a TV drama series on CBC called Urban Angel. He has also written two mystery fiction novels: Orphanage 41 and his most recent, Wheat$haft. A second feature movie called Target Number One, starring Josh Hartnett in the role of Malarek, was released in July 2020 in Canada, the US and Britain.

IRYNA BATUREVYCH is a co-founder of the NGO "Ukrainian Club of Montreal" and the Chytomo media outlet—an independent platform focused on publishing and contemporary literary and cultural processes in Ukraine. Alongside the Chytomo team, she established the Ukrainian Chytomo Award, recognizing outstanding achievements in publishing. Iryna coordinates several publishing research projects and serves as a market observer. Her reviews and insights have been featured in industry magazines globally, including Livres Hebdo, Publishers Weekly, Giornale della Libreria, Börsenblatt, and Publishing Perspectives. She highlights Ukrainian culture through major media outlets sucha as Global News, La Presse, Le Monde, and NPR. Previously, she held the role of deputy director and head of the analytical department at the Ukrainian Book Institute, and she has been a guest lecturer at Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University. In Canada, Iryna Baturevych and the NGO "Ukrainian Club of Montreal" organize the Ukrainian stand at the Salon du livre in Montreal. HALYNA KOSTYUK – literary critic and pedagogue. She received the degree of Candidate of Philological Sciences, having defended her thesis on Ukrainian poetry at the Institute of Literature named after T. Shevchenko of the Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. She teaches Ukrainian at the St. Josaphat school. Halyna is the author and co-author of several catalogues of modern Ukrainian art. This year, she presented talks at the Canadian Association of Slavists in Edmonton, Alberta, and at the XVII Congrès international (extraordinaire) des slavistes in Paris. Her latest publication is in the Western Canadian Science Collection at the University of Alberta.

Founded in 1995 during the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the CANADA-UKRAINE FOUNDATION (CUF) was established to coordinate, develop, and deliver humanitarian assistance from Canadians to Ukraine. CUF continues to play a vital role as a national charitable foundation, working to monitor, promote, and support humanitarian aid initiatives. Its mission includes evaluating projects, fostering collaboration among aid providers, setting strategic priorities, and ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. CUF also serves as a forum for individuals and organizations—across community, private, and public sectors—committed to supporting Ukraine. In addition to its work abroad, CUF also supports related initiatives within Canada. To learn more: cufoundation.ca

Yulianna Babilia, Uliana Hlynchak, Volodymyr Kravchuk, Olga Kozniuk, Anastasiya Mateshko, Sofiia Mykhailiuk, Victoria Matskiv, Adriana Reshetylo, Ulyana Ruzhevych, Serhii Titov

The investigative documentary Eurodonbas aims to debunk Soviet myths and reveal that over 100 years ago, Donbas was an integral part of the European economy. Synopsis: Donbas is a region in Eastern Ukraine that is currently known worldwide due to the fierce war with Russia. At the end of the 19th century, the Donbas region was home to settlements from Belgium, Germany, France, Britain, and the United States. This region was home to entrepreneurs from various countries who built architectural structures, established enterprises, and introduced innovative technologies. After the revolution of 1917 and the USSR's rise to power, the factories and private property were taken from the European and North American settlers, destroying the memory of European history there. In the film, experts, historians, and local people tell the stories about the region's history, which was destroyed and distorted by Soviet authorities who worked to erase the legacies of European entrepreneurs like John Hughes, Ernest Solvay, and Henrich Laude. The film crew discovered the unique archival materials that were animated in the film to show Donbas during the 19th century. The documentary Eurodonbas portrays the European heritage of such cities as Mariupol, Lysychansk, Druzhkivka, and New York village in the Donetsk region just before the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War. These places of Donbas are well-recognized in the world mass media. Soon after the filming of Eurodonbas, they were almost destroyed by Russian missiles during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At U MODEL ACADEMY, U stands for You — unique, unstoppable, and unshakeable, and also for our DNA - Ukrainian! We’re more than just a modelling school; we’re a space where young talents can grow into role models for their generation. From fashion runways to life skills, our focus is on nurturing confidence and individuality. Model – Not just a fashion model, but a role model. Whether you’re learning the perfect runway walk or developing your unique style, you’re setting the standard for those around you. Be the model of tomorrow, today! Academy – We are not an agency. While agencies book jobs, we build futures. Our academy is about learning, growing, and developing the skills that can launch you into a successful career in fashion, media, or any industry that values confidence and presentation.

Founded in 1995 during the 18th Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC), the CANADA-UKRAINE FOUNDATION (CUF) was established to coordinate, develop, and deliver humanitarian assistance from Canadians to Ukraine. CUF continues to play a vital role as a national charitable foundation, working to monitor, promote, and support humanitarian aid initiatives. Its mission includes evaluating projects, fostering collaboration among aid providers, setting strategic priorities, and ensuring resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact. CUF also serves as a forum for individuals and organizations—across community, private, and public sectors—committed to supporting Ukraine. In addition to its work abroad, CUF also supports related initiatives within Canada. To learn more: cufoundation.ca

The Toronto Bandura Festival (TBF), established in December 2024, is a music festival devoted to growing the reputation and popularity of the bandura, supporting the development of talented bandurists, and promoting Ukrainian music, culture and identity in the Greater Toronto Area through the medium of bandura art. The primary mission of TBF is to establish a biennial bandura festival featuring bandura performances and bandura music competition in Toronto, Ontario, and hosts various bandura-related musical concerts and events throughout the year. BANDURA ON BLOOR Presented by the Toronto Bandura Festival, Bandura on Bloor is a musical concert series in Toronto showcasing solo bandura performers, small ensembles, and bands featuring the bandura. The conception of Bandura on Bloor was inspired by the “Bandura Downtown” concert series in New York City, directed by Julian Kytasty. Performances take place on Friday evenings, featuring one or two headliners, followed by a reception for all the guests and performers. Bandura on Bloor is a delightful opportunity to spend your Friday evening with your friends and loved ones with the magical sounds of the bandura in downtown Toronto!

We help people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and support them in strengthening their resilience. The Canadian RED CROSS Society is part of the largest humanitarian network in the world, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. This network includes the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation) and 192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies dedicated to improving the situation of the most vulnerable throughout the world. Our network is vast, but our approach is simple. All Red Cross programs and activities are guided by the Fundamental Principles of Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality. These principles allow us to provide help immediately to whoever needs it, wherever they are, whatever their race, political beliefs, religion, social status, or culture.”

DR. OLEKSANDR ROMANKO works as Associate Director in Financial Risk Quantitative Research at SS&C Technologies Canada; he is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, American University Kyiv, and Ukrainian Catholic University. Oleksandr is the Founding Director of the Master of Technology Leadership and Artificial Intelligence program at American University Kyiv. Dr. Romanko received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from McMaster University in Canada. Previously, he worked as a Senior Research Analyst and Manager of Quantitative Research at the Watson Financial Services division of IBM. Dr. Romanko is the author of more than twenty articles and book chapters in financial risk management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, analytics, and operations research. His research focuses on optimization algorithms, financial portfolio optimization, machine learning, and artificial intelligence applied to finance and risk management. To popularize data science and analytics as a new career option in Ukraine, starting from 2013, Dr. Romanko co-organized and taught more than ten one- and two-day courses in Data Science, Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence with more than 5000 attendees. Dr. Romanko is a co-founder of Canada’s Mitacs Research Internship Program for Ukraine, which allowed approximately 1000 Ukrainian students to participate in research internship projects at Canadian universities and companies. As Chair of the Innovation, Education and Science Support Committee of Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Oleksandr and his team facilitate the development of defence technology collaborations between Canada and Ukraine.

PROFESSOR MAXIM TARNAWSKY has been teaching Ukrainian literature at the University of Toronto since 1987. He is the author of books on Valerian Pidmohylnyi and Ivan Nechui Levytskyi. He is also a translator and edits the journal Ukrainian Literature: A Journal of Translations. His translation of Valerian Pidmohylnyi's The City recently appeared in book form at the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.

ANNA PALENCHUK is a film producer, scriptwriter, and co-founder of the Ukrainian production company 435 FILMS and Be Brave Films Inc. in Canada. She has produced award-winning documentaries and feature films with renowned directors such as Mantas Kvedaravičius, Vitaliy Manskiy, Oleg Sentsov, Akhtem Seitablayev, and Maciek Hamela. These films have premiered at prestigious festivals including Cannes, Berlinale, TIFF, IDFA, KVIFF, PÖFF, Sheffield DocFest, DOC NYC, and Hot Docs. Anna also served as the line producer for the Ukrainian shoot of RRR (2022), an Indian action drama directed by S.S. Rajamouli, which won both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Original Song in 2023. In 2023, the investigative documentary "Eurodonbas," produced by Anna, was featured at Hot Docs as part of the "Made in Ukraine" program. Anna also co-produced the documentary In the Rearview, directed by Maciek Hamela. In 2023, the film premiered at Cannes and was shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards. Currently, Anna is based in Toronto, Canada, where she founded and develops the Ukrainian-Canadian Film Community (UCFC). Anna’s most recent film is Malevych, a feature-length fiction film directed by Daria Onyshchenko, with an original concept by Anna, who also served as co-writer and producer. The film has already been showcased at prominent international platforms, including the Munich Security Conference 2025, and is set for distribution in Ukraine, the USA, and Canada in September 2025.