Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

🇨🇦🇺🇦 Amazing news from Mississauga! We now have Ternopil Park, creating another lasting symbol of the friendship between Canada and Ukraine in the heart of the GTA, between Toronto, Mississauga, and Brampton.

A sincere thank you to Ward 3 Councillor @Chris_Fonseca3 and her team, Mayor @carolynhparrish, and all Mississauga City Councillors for making this possible.

I can't wait to visit this beautifully renovated park.
(I've already submitted the name change on Google Maps.)

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

As I mark four years of work on the Canada-Ukraine Twin Cities initiative, I had the privilege of presenting our project and proposing Ternopil as a potential sister city before the Mayor and Council of Mississauga.

Thanks to the leadership and support of Nataliya Halych, @OlehNikolenko_, @Chris_Fonseca3, and @MayorParrish, everything came together, and City Council unanimously supported our initiative. Special thanks go to the dozens of our community members who took time out of their busy Wednesday morning to join us and witness this historic moment.

💭 What made my long, lonely drive home more enjoyable was passing several municipalities that already have twinning relationships with Ukraine: Toronto, Port Hope, Prince Edward County, Smiths Falls, and North Grenville. Seeing their signs along the road made me smile.

They serve as an important reminder: along 401 and across Canada, in communities big and small, there are millions of true friends of Ukraine.

More to come. More to be done.

Slava Ukraini. Glory to Canada. 🇺🇦🇨🇦

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Four years. 1,460 days of pain and courage.

We remember Ukraine’s fallen heroes. We mourn Ukrainian civilians and children killed by Russians. And we continue standing with Ukraine and our people!

Slava Ukraini!

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Honoured to be a guest speaker at @UNFOttawa AGM. The audience was so diverse: from 3rd-generation Ukrainians to newcomers, teens to seniors, community leaders to first-time volunteers. It was truly inspiring to see such a great interest in how to get involved in the community and get things done. This is what unites Ukrainians and strengthens our voice in Canada: culturally, socially, and politically.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

A unique day on Parliament Hill for me as I had the honour of meeting J. Greg Peters, the Usher of the Black Rod. His stories about his remarkable career, the behind-the-scenes moments, and the history of his office made this day really memorable.

Many thanks to Bev Stevenson and the Office of the Usher of the Black Rod for making this possible.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Anton Ptushkin has shown us countless places around the globe, and it felt really special to show him around Canada’s Parliament.

Special thanks for Anton’s movie “Antarctica.” It was nostalgic to see him return to this unique format after many years. Amazing work — well done!

Thank you to the Ukraine Harmony Foundation and Film Hive for organizing this important fundraising tour in support of @BackAndAlive

Slava Ukraini and Glory to Canada!

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by an initiative group working with families who applied through the Ukrainian Family Reunification PR Pathway. They gathered statistics and sent their concerns—on behalf of 23,000 applicants—to the Immigration Minister as well as MPs and Senators of Ukrainian descent. Unfortunately, there was no action.

That’s why I suggested using a parliamentary petition as a tool to compel the government to respond. During the Ukrainian Independence Festival, our Vyshyvanka Association team collected signatures and connected with MP Dave Epp, who not only agreed to sponsor the petition but also to present it in the House of Commons.

Now, the Immigration Minister has 45 days to officially respond to petitioners and explain how the government plans to ensure Ukrainians aren’t waiting decades (66 years at the existing processing rate) for their applications to be processed.

Thank you to the initiative group for their work, to everyone who signed the petition at Centennial Park, and to @daveeppckl for his strong support.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

8 years ago, we launched 'Born in Vyshyvanka,' a program that gifts newborns their first vyshyvanka.

Almost 1000 babies have received theirs! It’s wonderful to see some of our very first recipients, now 7–8 years old, taking part in Ukrainian activities across Canada.

Thank you to @UKRinCAN and @MeestCanada for making it possible.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Pleasure to meet @a_plakhotniuk, the newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Canada. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss upcoming projects and share our vision for future cooperation during the Embassy’s gathering with community leaders. Looking forward to working together.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

It’s an honour and a great responsibility to receive such high recognition from @ukrcancongress.

While I take pride in the projects I have been а part of, seeing the names of the past and present award recipients inspires me to strive to do more—and to do it better—moving forward.

I also want to thank my wife for her unwavering support, along with my family, mentors, and friends who have guided me throughout the years of my community work.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Helping municipalities find twin cities is great but seeing them work together is even better.

Thank you Mayor Shawn Pankow and Mayor Ігор Гриньків for your leadership. It was inspiring to see the enthusiasm of working groups of both municipalities.

Valeriy Kostyuk, it was great to have you with us. We look forward to coordinating our initiatives with the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

And thank you to Lisa Kovalenko for helping us with interpreting in English and Ukrainian.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Great to welcome Kozak Siromaha to Canada’s Parliament. His Big Canadian Tour offered more than music and true Cossack energy—it carried a powerful charitable mission.

Many thanks to Vadym Goreniuk and KAZKA Entertainment for their tireless work promoting Ukrainian culture and fundraising for Ukraine’s defenders.

🇺🇦 «Ворога поборемо, беремо та й робимо!»

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

In 2017, we launched the first Born in Vyshyvanka program outside Ukraine—now active in dozens of countries. After the pandemic, we renewed our mission with the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada.

Imagine, in the near future, more than 1000 children in Canada will have received their first vyshyvankas from us! 🇨🇦🇺🇦

Grateful to @MeestCanada for years of support & to @OlehNikolenko_ , Ukraine’s Consul in Toronto, for hosting such a warm event where little Ukrainian Torontonians received their first embroidered shirts.

Additional thanks to Olga Hnatyuk for these beautiful photos.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Great to team up with @MeestCanada to draft a petition calling on the Government of Canada to raise the duty-free limit for packages from 🇺🇦 to 🇨🇦 to at least $150.

After many conversations with MPs and collecting well over the required signatures, we’re ready to move forward.

Stay tuned for updates.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Honoured to coordinate efforts with @UKRinCAN on various initiatives, and truly grateful to be recognized by the outgoing Ambassador.

As we continue working with the dedicated Embassy team, I look forward to achieving even more for Ukrainians—both here in Canada and in Ukraine.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Had the pleasure of presenting the Canada-Ukraine Twin Cities Initiative to Peterborough City Council. Together with UCC-Ontario, we encouraged them to twin with a Ukrainian municipality and join the growing network of communities standing in solidarity with Ukraine. 🇨🇦🤝🇺🇦

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Congratulations to Smiths Falls 🇨🇦 and Zolochiv 🇺🇦 on becoming twin cities!

Grateful to Olga Ialovenko for her tireless advocacy and to Mayor Pankow for his leadership.

This marks our 7th Canada–Ukraine twinning agreement—an important milestone on the 1210th day of Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine.

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Every Canadian who wants change and to restore the promise of our great country must vote today.

Julia and I were excited to join @MikeBarrettON — the most dedicated Conservative we both have had the pleasure to work with — to remind Brockville residents that it’s Election Day.

✅ Get out and vote — for change!

[Volodymyr (Walter) Palagniuk @palagniuk]

Happy retirement, @LarryMaguireMP — and thank you for your decades of service to Manitoba, Canada, and all Canadians!

We first met seven years ago, and in 2019, I was privileged to join Larry’s campaign in Brandon. While we stayed in touch over the years, it was a surprise to both of us when I later joined his team to serve the people of Westman. I’ve learned a great deal throughout this journey and look forward to staying connected.

A special thanks to the Ukrainian National Hockey Federation for helping me organize this awesome gift for Larry — a jersey signed by every member of Ukraine’s national team!