Nationally, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is the voice of Canada’s Ukrainian community. The Congress brings together under one umbrella all the national, provincial and local Ukrainian Canadian organizations. Together with its member organizations, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress has been leading, coordinating and representing the interests of one of Canada’s largest ethnic communities (1.4 million) since 1940 and has been instrumental in shaping Canada’s social, economic and political landscape. You can read more about our organization here: https://www.ucc.ca/about-ucc/
Locally, UCC Nova Scotia Branch was established in 2017 and is the only representation of the UCC in Atlantic Canada. We came together as a community to celebrate our Ukrainian heritage, raise awareness about Ukraine and its history (especially, the commemoration of the 1932-33 Holodomor in Ukraine), promote Ukrainian culture, and advocate for the interests of Ukrainian community in Nova Scotia. UCC NS works with provincial and municipal levels of government and local politicians (MPs and MLAs) from all political parties.
Ukrainian Canadian Congress Nova Scotia Branch is run by a group of dedicated volunteers. Since russia’s unprovoked full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine launched on February 24, 2022, UCC NS has concentrated its efforts, human resources and social capital to support Ukraine and Ukrainian people. We hold regular fundraising events and donate collected money to various organizations in Ukraine that together contribute to the war effort and resistance against russia’s aggression and occupation. In addition, we collaborate with the Government of Nova Scotia and local settlement organizations (ISANS and YMCA) in welcoming war-displaced Ukrainians and helping them settle in our province. In partnership with the Government of Nova Scotia, in 2022-2023 UCC NS assisted Ukrainians with finding local resources, jobs, and temporary housing provided by Canadian host families. In the last two years, our efforts have been directed at supporting the integration process for the war-displaced Ukrainians in Nova Scotia through community building events (such as cultural workshops, theatrical performances and political rallies), as well as at promoting the richness of the Ukrainian Canadian culture locally. Among our key priorities are: 1) raising political awareness about the war in Ukraine and about the needs of the community in Nova Scotia; 2) promoting Ukrainian theatre and dramaturgy (a project of “Ukrainian Theatre in Halifax”), and 3) implementing educational and recreational activities for various age groups in the Ukrainian Canadian community in Halifax and its vicinity. For example, on April 6th, 2025, with the support of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation, we launched a Ukrainian School “Mriya” (“Dream”) for children of 6 -14 years old.
UCC NS Governing Board
UCC NS has an Executive Committee and is governed by the Board of Directors. The last Annual General Meeting of the organization took place on March 16, 2025. The current 2025-2026 officers of the UCC NS Branch are:
President: Marina Gorobets de Alberti
Vice-President: Lyubov Zhyznomirska
Secretary: Marianna Kovtun
Treasurer: Sergiy Zhyznomirskyy
Board of Directors: Lina Costyuk, Andrii Kravchenko, Dr. Bohdan Luhovyy, Liudmyla Romashchenko.