Edmonton To Get New Ukrainian Consulate
February 28, 2008
Edmonton will be the location of a new Ukrainian consulate to be opened later this year. Advancing the interests of the Ukrainian Community in Western Canada Peter Goldring, Member of Parliament for Edmonton East, had written to the Minister of Foreign Affairs asking what steps needed to be taken for Ukraine to establish a consulate in Edmonton to serve the city and the hundreds of thousands of Canadians of Ukrainian descent in the Prairies.
“I am pleased that the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Maxime Bernier, has supported my request to have a Ukrainian consulate in Edmonton,” Mr. Goldring said while making the announcement at his constituency office. “He has instructed his officials to work closely with their Ukrainian counterparts to have the consulate established by 2008.”
While Ukraine has honourary consuls in Winnipeg and Vancouver, this will be the first time full consular services have been available to western provinces. At present such services are only available through the consulate in Toronto or the Ukrainian embassy in Ottawa.
Mr. Goldring said the consulate will help protect the interests of Ukraine in Western Canada and will facilitate tourist traffic both to and from Ukraine. It will also help further the development of commercial, economic, cultural and scientific ties between Ukraine and Canada.
“It seemed to me that establishing a Ukrainian consulate in Edmonton would be the next logical step in the growing relationship between our two countries,” Mr. Goldring said. “I am pleased that Minister Bernier has agreed.”
During a visit to Edmonton in March 2007, His Excellency Ihor Ostash, the Ambassador of Ukraine, indicated that he too would support the establishment of a consulate in the city.