Saturday, 21 June 2025

CANSEC 2023 — Protest Photos and News

CANSEC was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID. 


During the 2023 protest I took about 190 photos, but did not write a story. 

In 2025 we realized this omission and decided to summarize the May 31, 2023 protest, at the EY Centre, Ottawa in this blog post with links to much of the online news coverage.

See 190 of my 2023 photos at: Stop CANSEC 2023 Ottawa's big weapon's show. See a list of my CANSEC protest photo-reports since 2009. 

News

Democracy NOW

World BEYOND War Canada

TicToc

X

Peace Brigade International - Canada


Government of Canada
Spirit-Wrestlers
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Friday, 20 June 2025

Saskatchewan Doukhobors on RogersTV

RogersTV in Saskatchewan is now airing our documentary film!

By Ryan Androsoff

  • Friday, June 20 and 27;  July 4, 11 and 18 — 8:00 PM
  • Monday, June 23 — 6:30 PM
  • Wednesday, June 25 — 1:00 PM, 7:30 PM

We are pleased to let you know that RogersTV in Saskatchewan is now broadcasting our documentary film We've Concluded Our Assembly: The Saskatchewan Doukhobors! 8 times in June and July, 2025.  

Tell your family, friends, classmates, co-workers and neighbors.

Click image to enlarge.

The full 90-minute film is being broadcast this Friday, June 20th starting at 8 pm on the RogersTV community channel across Saskatchewan. For those with classic cable service from Rogers it can be found on channel 10, or if you have an Xfinity cable box it will be found on channel 105.

The film will be broadcast at 8 pm each Friday for the next few weeks until at least July 18th. In addition, this coming week it will also be broadcast on Monday, June 23rd at 6:30pm and Wednesday, June 25th at 1:00pm and again at 7:30pm. You can find the broadcast schedule at anytime for the coming week at this link.

As we announced last month, the full documentary film is now also available for free on YouTube. We are pleased to share that the film has had nearly 5,000 views so far on YouTube from around the world!

For those interested, a limited number of DVD copies of the film are still available for purchase. They are being sold by mail order for $20 (plus $5 shipping in Canada; extra shipping costs for international orders). In addition to the documentary film, this package also includes the full video recording of a Saskatchewan Doukhobor prayer service filmed in Blaine Lake, SK, an audio CD of traditional Doukhobor singing from the prayer service recording, and a booklet with lyrics to all of the songs that were part of the prayer service recording in Russian, with phonetic pronunciations of the Russian lyrics in English lettering, and an English-language translation. Mail orders of the DVDs can be arranged by contacting us directly by email at: SpiritWrestlerProductions@gmail.com

Thank you again for your support of this project, and we hope you enjoy the multiple ways now available to re-watch the film and share it with family and friends.

Sincerely,
Ryan Androsoff 

Saskatchewan Doukhobor Living Book Project

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Friday, 9 August 2024

Nuclear Bombs Used 79 Years Ago

Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Memorial Lantern Ceremony, Ottawa 2024 


Held near the Moose sculpture, on the Rideau Canal Western Pathway, street address 334 Queen Elizabeth Parkway, at Third Ave, a few meters north of the new Flora Footbridge that crosses the Rideau Canal. (Google map)

Tōrō nagashi (floating lanterns) honoring the dead,
August 6, 2024, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

On August 6, 2024, about 90 attended this year's annual memorial of the bombing of Japan in 1945, held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. See my 46 photos.

90 attended.

In 1945 the first two A-bombs killed an estimated 110,000 to 210,000 people, and many more remained injured for life. The event left emotional scars on millions of people around the world, including me. That was 79 years ago. I am 92 now, and may have been one of the oldest persons in attendance.

I was 13 in 1945 when the USA bombed Japan. We got news on radio and the daily newspapers. We had just moved to the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan from a family farm that had no electricity and no direct telephone contact.

In 1947, two years later, the Cold War with the Soviet Union began. I was 15.

In 1949, the Soviet Union tested a nuclear bomb, and the Nuclear Arms Race began. I was 17.

Beginning in 1954, at age 23, I officially joined the peace movement, writing, editing and publishing dozens of anti-war articles in the first English-language Doukhobor journal — The Inquirer.

For 70 years I never stopped protesting, or supporting like-minded peace makers. It's an extension of my Doukhobor legacy. One-third of my ancestors in Russia burned guns in 1895 in Russia, many were jailed, exiled, and fled to Canada.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Cold Wars appeared to have warmed, temporarily. Now we are in a Second Cold War, at the verge of WWW3, with major wars in Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, and Africa. I think the threat of nuclear war is higher now than before, and public awareness of this danger is lower.

Like many of my readers, I wonder what has happened to our humanity. Why can't we respect others and live in peace? How can we prevent the unthinkable from happening? Who is listening in 2024? The Parliamentarians of the world? The United Nations? How about our military industrial complex? NATO? CIA? Are our children in schools taught not to point a gun at anyone? Is there an appetite for LOVE instead of hate, and a desire to work for a world without wars, for a nonkilling way of life? In brief, how can we prevent a nuclear holocaust?


All speeches at this year's ceremony addressed the urgency of actively turning the Doomsday Clock back from 90 seconds to midnight.

Program

Hiroshima & Nagasaki Peace Memorial Lantern Ceremony, 2024, Ottawa, Canada, by Bill Bhaneja.

Dr. Neve, Kavanagh, and Grisdale

Speakers

Alex Neve, Ph.D. — Senior Fellow Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, and Chair of the Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention (CNWC) — Dr. Neve urged world leaders to never again allow the mass murder of genocide scale to occur. Nuclear weapons need to be urgently prohibited if we are to survive as a civilization. He paraphrased United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) adopted in 2017, but 69 nations did not vote, including all of the nuclear weapon states and all NATO members except the Netherlands.

Needless to say, we cannot stop there. We must all raise our voices, send emails, arrange meetings with our MPs, and make it clear to our Minister of Foreign Affairs and to our PM, that 79 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki there is only one possible future, and that is a future which prohibits and abolishes nuclear weapons. full stop. That is how we best remember, but more importantly how we best honour the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.'That is how we best lift up our precious, shared humanity.'

Entire text: A World Free of Nuclear Weapons is a Universal Human Right, Alex Neve: Moving Rights Along (blog), August 10, 2024. (3 photos).

Theresa Kavanagh, Ottawa City Councillor, stood proud to see Ottawa as a City of 19 across the country that has pledged its support for the prohibition of nuclear weapons. She emphasized the importance of community urgently acting together to make this happen. (Ban the Bomb Ottawa, 8 June 2022.)

Debbie Grisdale, RN, Physicians for Global Survival, Canadians for a Nuclear Weapons Convention (CNWC), read the City of Hiroshima 2024 Peace Declaration by Matsui, Mayor of Hiroshima (YouTube, 12 min.). The Mayor pointed out that more than 8,400 member cities in 166 countries and regions, 'will actively support community endeavours to raise peace consciousness. He concluded with these profound views:

Today, at this Peace Memorial Ceremony marking 79 years since the bombing, we offer our deepest condolences to the souls of the atomic bomb victims. Together with Nagasaki and like-minded people around the world, remembering once again the hibakusha struggle, we pledge to make every effort to abolish nuclear weapons, light the way toward lasting world peace. Citizens of the world, let us all, with hope in our hearts, walk with Hiroshima toward tomorrow's peace.

Bhaneja and Girard.

Mаster of Ceremonies Bill Bhaneja ended the speech portion of the program, by pointing out that the Canadian Government as a member of NATO, 'does not support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). But 74% of Canadians do, as a Nanos poll shows.' (See: Program)

The lantern ceremony was organized by Mary Girard of the Ottawa Society of Friends followed at the pond near the Ottawa Rideau Canal. (Google map)

Musicians and singers led by Tim Kitz, Chrissy Steinbock and Wychwood and Friends provided lovely music at a beautiful peaceful evening, which Alex Neve called 'lifting up our shared humanity, cherishing our connections and fortifying our solidarity.'

What attendees have posted

Caution: There is a commercial Water Lantern Festival business held at 12 locations in Canada.

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Saturday, 20 July 2024

Lessons of 1895 Doukhobor Arms Burning

This year 2024 marks the 129th Anniversary of the Doukhobor Arms Burning in the area between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea on June 28-29, 1895 (Old Style; new style is 11-12 July). 

It was on that date that 7,000 Doukhobors in Transcaucasia in three settlements set ablaze piles of their own and government rifles, pistols and swords in the first mass protest in history against wars and militarism.

Arms Burning by Russian Doukhobors in 1895
by William Perehudoff, 1969. Click picture to enlarge.

The symbolic act was unique in its simplicity, officially proclaimed by leader Peter V. Verigin in exile, yet it attracted attention from Lev N. Tolstoy and the Quakers to take notice and come to their help. The government of the day generally reacted harshly resulting in one-third or 7,500 Russian Doukhobors migrating to Western Canada in 1899. 

Today, two lessons learned are worth remembering as providing hope to an ailing world community:

  1. Getting rid of wars is a long-sought dream. This ought to be the Number One goal of our governments and peace movements to improve humanity, including health, education, climate change, poverty, etc. 

  2. The arms burning transformed Doukhobors from a religious group to a social movement proclaiming that war must end. This was remarkable for those times. Today, World Beyond War and the Center for Global Nonkilling are two of a number of recent peace groups promoting similar sentiments.

Let’s remember that these two lessons are the essence of what it means to be a Doukhobor today.

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Sunday, 3 December 2023

Awards for Georgia Doukhobor Photos

... and a new book about Doukhobors in Georgia with 90 color prints.
 
Click to Enlarge.

"Finalist: Natela Grigalashvili: Doukhobor women pick flowers on the Holy Blue tumulus or kurgan, which they visit every year", in 6Mois award for photojournalism – winners and finalists, ... chosen from 177 applications from 40 countries. ... The Guardian, 19 Oct 2021.

This photo of Doukhobor women in Georgia was selected as one of 12 finalists for an international biannual 6Mois Photojournalism Award in 2021. It's #12 of 35 photos in Grigalashvili's project "The Doukhobors' Land". The French name of the Award and cosponsoring magazine translates as "6 months". Two men split the first prize of €10,000 (CAN$14,000) which is awarded twice a year.


In 2021 the project was published as a 144-page bilingual French-English book — La Terre des Doukhobors —144 pages, 90 photos, cost €30.00 (CAD44.00), also at Amazon.com.

Grigalashvili, born in 1965 in Khashuri, Georgia, is an independent documentary photographer and the first female Georgian photojournalist. She was born in an grew up in a town between Doukhobors' land and Tbilisi, and now lives in the capital Tbilisi. She mainly works on long-term documentary projects in the rural areas of Georgia focusing on the lives and issues of people living in villages and provincial cities. (About Natela Grigalashvili, LensCulture, 2023) Her colour photos are published in several European magazines.


The day she first visited these Dukhobors in 2013 happened to be during a funeral. She was so overwhelmed with the ritual that she stated: "I decided to die as a Doukhobor."

Video interview, at minute 10:53..

See her translated interview segment about Doukhobors in Georgia (minutes 7:48 to 12:19) in Natela Grigalashvili - In search of something extraordinary in the ordinary, Sakartvelo Insight, 2022 October 26.

About the award photo caption: "Doukhobor women pick flowers on the Holy Blue tumulus or kurgan, ..."
  • "tumulus or kurgan" refer to huge mounds of dirt covering ancient graves and are among the 10 "holy" mountains and hills that surround Dukhoboria (Dukhobor land) in Georgia
  • The "Blue krugan" is "Sinii Kurgan (aka Lushechkin Kurgan, Kachal Gora, Gora Madatapa)". Sinii and gora are Russian for the color "blue" and "mountain" respectively. Link is to the Doukhobor Gazetteer by Jonathan Kalmakoff.
  • Grigalashvili explained: "There are four mountains nearby — Holy Kurgan, Blue Kurgan, Ivanis Mountain, and Big Abul. The Doukhobors consider these mountains to represent a sort of border of 'The Doukhobors' Land' [Dukhoboriya]."

Click to Enlarge.

The map above is adapted from "Doukhobor Settlement in Georgia, 1841-Present" by Jonathan Kalmakoff. For more detail, click on the satellite toggle icon in the lower left. Then click on "... 50 more", left middle, to see list of all 51 locations. Click on blue dots and pins for location, more information and links to Doukhobor Gazetteer. Many places have alternate names. 

Dukhobors arrived in the 1840s when this territory was conquered by Russia and called Tiflis Governorate. Find 11 cemeteries (including Mogilochki), 9 villages, 8 valleys/gulleys, 5 kurgans, 5 mountains (gora), 4 prayer houses (2 at Molgilichki), 4 streams (rodnik), 1895 Burning of Arms site, Sirotsky dom, etc.

"The last twenty years have been especially difficult for Doukhobors. No one can say why most of them have decided to return to Russia. There are different versions: betrayal, fear, persecution, false promises. Nowadays there are approximately 150 families left, mostly in Gorelovka. Youth is in minority in the community. Lack of opportunities in education and work is forcing them to leave their villages and the country." (Natela Grigalashvili : The Doukhobors' Land : Project info, 2023)

The 6Mois contest was started in 2019 "... to support photographers who like to tell stories ... to astonish, embark, move... with authenticity, relevance, commitment. Entrants must present a project already started which tells a story through photographs."
More about Natela Grigalashvili
In 2011 documentary photographer Agnes Montanari won a similar award. — Georgia Doukhobor Photos Win 3rd Place at International Competition in Italy, Spirit-Wrestlers Blog, 14 August 2011.
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Monday, 14 August 2023

Nagasaki Commemoration Ottawa


Tōrō nagashi— floating paper lanterns are a traditional consolation for the approximate 200,000 souls of those killed in Japan in 1945. This event is hosted annually by The Friends, Ottawa Quakers in the Glebe neighbourhood. See 62 photos.

Part of the crowd.

On August 9, 2023, more than 100 Ottawans came out in a beautiful evening to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the international criminality that took place in Japan in 1945 when USA dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The consequences have since posed an existential threat for humanity, with the possibility of our own extinction.

Click image to Enlarge

Since 2019 we are meeting near Queen Elizabeth Drive and Third Street, at the new Lily Pond and Monz (Moose) bench, by Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Algonquin artist Claude Latour, northwest of the new Flora McDonald Footbridge over the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO Heritage Site. See 62 photos.

Before this Lily Pond was made, we all met at The Friends House at 91A Fourth Ave, made lanterns, and walked east 450 meters to the Rideau Canal wharf at the Canal Ritz restaurant.

Again this year the mood was, 'No More Hiroshimas! Take Peace Action Now!' as the Canadian Peace Congress, one of the participants in the evening, wrote in their handout.
On August 6 and 9, 1945, the U.S. military bombed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear weapons. Over 200,000 people, mostly civilians, died instantly or later succumbed from burns, malnutrition, and radiation-related illnesses, and their cities leveled to the ground. Those notorious acts will forever be remembered as the first time the devastating impact of nuclear warfare was unleashed.

There was absolutely no justification for this wanton attack. Unclassified documents have confirmed the lie of the constructed 'myth' that the atomic attack was necessary to spare the lives of U.S. servicemen and end the war. In fact, Imperial Japan was already on the verge of collapse and surrender by early August 1945....

Program

Bill Bhaneja, MC for the evening, began the meeting by saying 'We are here to commemorate those who lost their lives.'


Tōrō nagashi.


All my reports since 2009: 1945 A-bombing of Japan Memorials, Ottawa.

Peggy Mason's report and photos: Reality sets in on Ukraine, a deep dive into Israel and international law, Ottawa lantern ceremony and more!, Ceasefire.ca, August 25, 2023 — Scroll to bottom.


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Saturday, 29 July 2023

Canada Cancels Russians

'Multicultural Canada' is being tested today with defamation about abuse of indigenous kids, Muslims, Asians, Jews, Blacks, and now Russians.

Russian-Canadian citizens are being canceled and abused for Putin's 'special military operations' on Ukraine. Several instances involved Canadian Doukhobors.

In April 2022, Kootenay BC Doukhobor 'Zemfira' submitted her complaints about 'irrational hysteria, and hypocrisy' in blaming everything Russian that has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine, like 'Dostoevsky [writer] and Daniil Medvedev [tennis player]'. Read her ranting 4-page commentary: 'Canceling Russians'.

In June 2023, the New York Times quoted USCC Chairman J.J. Verigin Jr: '... because of anger over the Ukraine conflict, several Doukhobors in recent months had been denied service in local shops in Castlegar.' See: A Pacifist Sect From Russia Is Shaken by War, and Modernity.

Alberta

In 2019 and 2021 a controversial sculpture in front of the Edmonton Ukrainian Youth Association was vandalized. In June 2021 'Alberta creates grant program for security measures to deter hate crimes', CBC News.

In February 2022, the Calgary, Alberta, All Saints Russian Orthodox Church was vandalized. In October 2022, a man phoned the priest and threatened to kill the Russian members, and was arrested according to Calgary CTV News.

In March 2022, Russian hockey star Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals was booed in Edmonton by Oilers fans, and everywhere he toured. (New York Times, NoVa Caps Fans blog by Jon Sorensen)

Russian Pavilion at the Edmonton Heritage Festival
Aug. 3, 2019. Edmonton Journal

In June 2023, the Edmonton Journal reported that the Ukrainian Canadian Congress in Edmonton '... wants the Russian association to speak out against the war in Ukraine and condemn [Russia] ....' which did not happen. The Ukrainian organization wants the Russians banned from all public events.

In July 2023, the Edmonton Heritage Festival Association (EHFA) cancelled the Russian Pavilion 'due to safety concerns.' EHF is one of the largest three day celebrations of multiculturalism in Canada.

The Russian Heritage Cultural Development Association (RHCDA) reported that their members and the local Russian community have been subject to defamation, bullying and threats over past few months, and banned by EHFA from participating. The EGFA violated their own 'Core Values' and the 'Alberta Human Rights Act.'

Doukhobor elder singer Alexander Kalesnikoff, third generation Russian, President of the Calgary Folk Arts Council for the past 25 years, has also been the Master of Ceremonies at the annual Calgary Heritage Day festival, to be held August 7, 2023.

When asked about any abuse of Russians in Calgary, his comments were that there have been some instances, however, it seems not on the scale of what was happening in Edmonton. The Russian Orthodox church suffered some damage, along with the Bible burnt at another.

There is only a handful of Doukhobors, approximately 35-40 thousand Russians and Russian-speaking people in Calgary, and 'about 345,000 of ... Ukrainian descent'.

In 2022, Kalesnikoff said that there was no abuse of any sort at the Heritage Day Festival. I would never let that happen, also, I would not disallow any cultural entity to perform on our stage. This year in 2023 we have police present for the safety not only for the performers, but the general public as this is a family event, young and old.

In 2022, there were Russians dancing and showing off their culture in song, music and dance, alongside Ukrainians. This year in 2023, we have the Russian and Ukrainian groups performing at the Heritage Day Festival also, in fact, some of the Russian groups have amongst them some Ukrainians, some from Belarus, some from Kazakhstan. Cultural diversity is the basic fabric that integrates, without assimilating more than 120 cultural organizations that exist in the City of Calgary. Heritage Day Festival promotes the preservation, development, advancement and awareness of the community at large.

Kalesnikoff says: 'We may have a unified identity in the country we live, but we are indeed proud of the uniqueness of our individual heritage.'

Heritage Day Festival’s are partially funded by the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission, the cities of Calgary and Edmonton, and by business sponsors which may or may not be more sensitive to their images.

The Edmonton Heritage Festival is is much larger in many ways than Calgary. In Edmonton, 70-75 pavilions, over 100 cultures may be present at the three-day celebration, whereas in Calgary, it is a one day affair, presenting folk arts in song, music and dance on one stage at Olympic Plaza. Attendance of over 5,000 in Calgary, in Edmonton 350,000.

Kalesnikoff surmised tensions in Edmonton, maybe be due to the fact that the City is hosting thousands of ‘displaced’ Ukrainians, more than in Calgary and this may or may not affect the decision made.

'Over 12000 Ukrainians have already come to Edmonton, with about a thousand more arriving each month' is stated on Edmonton Hosts Ukrainians website.

60,000 Ukrainians have emigrated to Ontario under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program due to the war. Under the federal program, each adult is eligible for a one-time payment of $3,000, while families with children can get an additional $1,500 for each child. 

Also see: Canada: Ukrainian refugee crisis (2022–present), Wikipedia.

Bridge building

To stem future harassment in the Kootenays, the UCCC could try to invite the racist store owners to their events escorted by a guide to translate, introduce them to members, the history and tour the buildings and landmarks. Maybe Doukhobors can help un-cancel Russians in Canada.

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Update: 2 August 2023

In their Comments below, the Rev. Dr. Mealing and Dr. Beissel remind us of Canada internment of different nationalities during WW1 and WW2, the effects of which still linger.

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Thursday, 6 July 2023

Mark Mealing: Review of Doukhobor Pioneers and Friends

Book Review by Rev. F. Mark Mealing Ph.D:

Spirit Wrestlers: 
Doukhobor Pioneers and Their Friends 
Compiled by Koozma J. Tarasoff, 2022.

It’s an academic joke that a scholar has only one book, no matter how many times it’s written. This is, of course, a wry look at those of us who, having chosen a topic for life, examine and report on it from different directions, point of view, and with respect to newer learning.

Koozma J. Tarasoff has for decades now taken on what was once a fragile, unpopular topic previously and with a bare handful of exceptions studied badly or not all: Doukhobor society and culture. He began his research in the 1950s with the publication of The Inquirer, then with a 1,006-page mimeographed edition of his research, In Search of Brotherhood (1963), down to the present with Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers and Their Friends in 2022, with many in between, often superbly illustrated and annotated, and from varied points of view.

Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers and Their Friends collects interviews, photographs and other discussions with some material in Russian as well as in English, with Doukhobor elders and others deeply involved in the life of that society. It thus not only presents precise documentation of historic views, but also of viewpoints and attachments in significant depth. It also includes some useful aids and good advice for others who wish to continue such work. It is thus another real treasure for Doukhobor Studies scholarship.

I cannot commend Koozma too highly for this lifework he has pursued, honest, diligent and valuable. I have known him for over 50 years, chiefly through correspondence but also by direct meetings when possible. Since I too made Doukhobor Studies the major part of my scholarly life, I can legitimately commend the value of his work. I trust he will continue it as long as possible and wish him all the great honour and respect he so richly deserves for his devotion to Doukhobor people and their significant culture and place in history. I am only sorry that great pressure from outside circumstances has delayed this note for almost a year.

Link to the ebook: www.Spirit-Wrestlers.com/2022.
Order printed book: Jia Hou, Merriam Print Inc.,
252 Laurier Ave, East, Ottawa, Ontario K1N OP4. 

About Rev. Dr. Mealing 
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Wednesday, 26 October 2022

Mich Ozeroff, 83 (1939 - 2022), Langham, Saskatchewan

Michael 'Mich' Ozeroff, 83, died October 23, 2022, at the Langham, Saskatchewan Care Home. 

He was one of 33 biographers in my most recent book Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers and their Friends. Here is my Introduction:

Mich Ozeroff is a retired successful farmer, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Director, choral singer, and Doukhobor community activist in creating a cooperative, just, and peaceful society. 

He and his wife Dorothy reside in Langham, Saskatchewan where he continues to encourage the development of a rich culture and the authentic ethics of the Doukhobor movement. 

With the help of others, Mich recently produced a remarkable visual and audio study of the Saskatchewan Doukhobor Youth Festivals 1955 - 1968, recording their history, communities, choirs, singers and recorded songs and photos.

Michael ('Mich') Ozeroff, Saskatoon Funeral Home, November 2022.

Mich Ozeroff, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Director. In Koozma J. Tarasoff, Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers and their Friends (2022): 287-299.

Koozma J. Tarasoff, Mich Ozeroff, Elmer Verigin and Andrei Conovaloff, Saskatchewan Doukhobor Youth Festivals, 1955 - 1968. Summary of history, communities, choirs, singers, recorded songs and photos. 22 pp. 
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Jack Tarasoff, 89 (1933 - 2022), Calgary, Alberta

Jack Tarasoff, 89, died August 26, 2022 in Calgary, Alberta. 

Jack was one of 33 biographers in my book Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers and their Friends. 
Here is my Introduction to him:

Jack Tarasoff is a retired professor of First Nations Studies and Adult Education. Curretly he resides with his Welsh wife Jan in Calgary, Alberta. 

From attending many First Nations feasts, Swet Lodges, and Pow Wows, Jack considers that he has gained the wisdom of being a 'a professor for the Underdog Natives'. From being an executive member of the Federation of Russian Canadians and being active with Doukhobor groups, Jack learned the meaning of contributing to the common good, stopping the killing of fellow human beings, and rejecting the destruction of all life on the planet.

Read his entire biography.  
  • Obituary Jack Tarasoff (1933-2022), in Calgary, Alberta. by Dignity Memorial. A Memorial Service will be announced at a later date.
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Thursday, 29 September 2022

Human Chain for Release of Assange

By Peter Biesterfeld <docupeter@gmail.com>, journalist, @DocSchool, Toronto, Ontario. 

'Free Assange Day' to be held October 8th around the world

Gather at noon at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, in solidarity with thousands of people around the world who support Julian Assange —  Don't Extradite Assange.


Added  Oct. 21, 2022.
Assange 'Human Chain' events were held at 3 locations in Canada (2 Ontario, 1 British Columbia).

Ottawa — short video.

Toronto — 8 photos

Victoria — 2 photos of drum circle by Sherry Claton and friends. 

Around the world the event was promoted mostly on social media: 
and on websites:
The largest protest was in London, UK, led by wife Stella Assange and a few politicians, followed by  Melbourne, Australia.
My previous blogs about and with Peter Biesterfeld
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Sunday, 11 September 2022

Alex A. Wishlow, 91 (1930-2022), Creston, BC


We gladly send our sincere condolences to the wider Wishlow family in the passing of a memorable personality. Alex was a creative teacher for 37 years, and one of the first Doukhobors to adopt computer technology in his courses. He passionately worked to promote multiculturalism as the way to tolerance and understanding of others.

Alex chaired the Canadian Doukhobor Society (CDS) for many years and persistently reminded its members to be a great example to others. As part of a 65-member 1995 'Voices for Peace Choir' that went international, he actively promoted peace and nonkilling as the way to our future. Alex will be missed. May he rest in peace.

Creston’s Larry Ewashen and Alex Wishlow attend Castlegar unveiling of historic Doukhobor plaques, Creston Valley Advance, October 18, 2012 — Peter V. Verigin was declared a Person of National Historic Significance, and the migration of the Doukhobors from Saskatchewan to British Columbia an event of National Historic Significance.


Read my biography (above) of Alex titled: 'Educator in the Interior of British Columbia' from Koozma J. Tarasoff, Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers' Strategies for Living (2002): 105-106.

In 2014, Alex addressed a meeting held at the Doukhobor Discovery Centre (photo above)

See his Facebook page with a family photos

Alex's obituary at G.F. Oliver Funeral Chapel is simple: 
Donate to the Doukhobor Discovery Centre in his memory.
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John E. Atamanenko, 91 (1930-2022), Saskatoon, SK

Left: Spirit Wrestlers, 2002, page 310.
Center: Obituary, Dignity Memorial, 2022.
Right: DSS Christmas Meeting, Saskatoon, 2018.

John and I are close in age and have known each other for many years. I was Best Man at his wedding. We worked together building bridges of understanding between the East and the West, and getting to know the stranger.
  • We promoted cultural tours to the Soviet Union as well as joint business ventures.
  • In 1988, John raised funds for Vakhit V. Sharipov of Kazan, and myself to come to Saskatoon to meet Doukhobor Canadians.
  • There were many times that John generously helped with accommodation and travel related to East-West exchanges. In the 1980s, as van drivers and organizers, John and Koozma escorted a western Canada tour of Soviet poets to Alberta and British Columbia.
  • We promoted the distribution of Russian films and videos to Canadians.
That ancient wisdom is dearly needed today between the Russian Federation and the West. The welfare of the world depends on this understanding so that we can build trust to mutually work towards a peaceful world. Is anyone listening? As a generous man, John will be missed. Sincere condolences to the wider family.

In 1976 he was mentioned in his ag newsletter:
John Atamanenko '54 is now Manager of The Carpet Warehouse in Saskatoon. He has just built a new store and would be glad to have you drop in. (Saskatchewan Agricultural Graduates Association Newsletter, No 145, December 1976, page 4, col. 2)

In 2002, I included this short biography and photo (above) in my big book: Spirit Wrestlers: Doukhobor Pioneers' Strategies for Living (2002), page 310.
John E. Atamanenko, an agronomist by training, has worked variously as an owner of a carpet store, a bingo hall, and as a farmer. An active proponent of EastWest cultural exchanges, he is best known as founder of the Saskatoon Russian Cultural Club. The Club has promoted the use of Russian language, assisted the Russian Pavilion in town, has shown Russian movies, and has arranged for the visit to Canada of Soviet artists, students, professional and business people. His cousin Alex Atamanenko, in Castlegar, BC, is an international Russian-English interpreter, educator, and karate instructor, while Alex's brother George Atamanenko is an agricultural expert in Vancouver.


In 2003 John helped launch a project to conserve and promote an area north of Saskatoon near Blaine Lake, where he was raised. They formed the Riverlands Heritage Region project committee, ‘to preserve the historical contributions of Russian peoples who settled on the Canadian prairies over a century ago.’ By 2007 he served as president and treasurer and helped write a progress report about the project: Riverlands Heritage Region Formed in Saskatchewan. In 2015 the tour map (above) was published, titled 'Petrofka to Wingard'. By 2017 the new Riverlands website presented a virtual tour, maps, and video.

More of John’s active biography can be seen in his Obituary in The StarPhoenix, Saskatoon, and at Dignity Memorial Funeral Home.

Plant a tree in his memory.
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