Friday 28 September 2012

2 More Doukhobor Historic Markers

Your Official Invitation
Two more Doukhobor historic markers designated by the Canadian government will be placed at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre, Castlegar, British Columbia. The public is invited to the ceremony on Sunday, September 30, 2012, at 1 pm.
  1. Verigin, Peter Vasilevich, a National Historic Person (NHP)
  2. Migration of Doukhobors to British Columbia, a National Historic Event (NHE)
Historic committee and government officials will attend. Both memorials were designated by Parks Canada on January 28, 2008.

On August 28, 2008, the Doukhobor Dugout House, Blaine Lake, Saskatchewan, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada (NHS) but has not yet received a plaque.

To date Doukhobors have 5 listings in the Directory of Federal Heritage Designations. Each shows a description, heritage value and character-defining elements which were evaluated to qualify for the committees' selections. See a map showing locations of the 5 Doukhobor desginations — 3 in British Columbia and 2 in Saskatchewan.


The 2 previous plaques are:
More ...

HSMBC Plaque Unveiling — The dedication ceremony report posted by Larry Ewashen, former curator, Doukhobor Discovery Centre, shows the plaque texts, 3 news clippings and photos.

Sunday 9 September 2012

Friends for Peace Award to Koozma


Koozma Tarasoff will be recognized with a Friends for Peace Award on Saturday, September 29, in the Ottawa City Hall rotuna during the 10th annual celebration of Peace Day.

Begining at 11 am, Friends of Peace Day events include a proclamation of Ottawa as a City of Peace, photo and art exhibits, music, dance, panel discussions, exhibits, good food, etc. Three awards will be presented from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm:
  1. Special Award to the late Jack Layton NDP recieved by wife Olivia Chow MP
  2. To June Girvan introduced by Ernie Tannis
  3. To Koozma Tarasoff introduced by Alex Atamanenko MP
These 3 people join a list of peace activists previously awarded — Jean Béliveau, Bruce Cockburn, Ojshigkwanàng - William Commanda, Marion Dewar, Jean Goulet, Max Keeping, Elizabeth May, Hans Sinn, Dave Smith, Daniel Stringer, Murray Thomson, ...

Continuing his life-long peace work as a Doukhobor, Tarasoff has been a volunteer photo journalist, historian and promoter of the organizations sponsoring the annual Ottawa Peace Festival since its inception in 2007. During this 6th year, he plans to cover each of the 17 events. Koozma's daughter, Tamara of Wakefield, Quebec, plans to video the award presentations for posting on the Internet.

Friends of Peace Day is one of 17 free events scheduled during the 12-day Ottawa Peace Festival (Sept 21 - Oct 2). This 6th annual festival occures at 14 locations around the capital. Click here for the schedule of events and media release. Click on map ballons and buttons to zoom in on event locations and descriptions. See Koozma's festival history, photos and previous reports.