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The Ukrainian settlers
By John Sawchuk
George Welychka's family
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The first Ukrainian immigrants
to come to Canada of whom we have official record were Ivan
Pilipiwski and Wasyl Eliniak. They emigrated from the village
of Nebiliw, in Galicia which then was part of the Austrian
Monarchy. They arrived in Montreal on the ship "Oregon"
on the 7th of December, 1891. Pilipiwski went back to his
native village of Nebiliw and came back with his family
late in 1893. He took up a homestead north of Lamont, Alberta,
where he farmed until his death in 1936 at the age of 77.
Elemak brought his family to Canada two or three years later
and settled on a homestead north of Chipman, Alberta, where
he farmed and died in December, 1955 in his 97th year.
The Ukrainians began to emigrate to Canada in large numbers
in a comparatively short time. The chief causes for leaving
their native land were:
- They lived under extreme economic poverty resulting
from scarcity of productive land
- Overpopulation
- They suffered from political and national discrimination
and oppression under Austrian Monarchy
- Canada was the land which offered the opportunity
for improvement in the future.
Mass Ukrainian immigration to Canada began between 1891
and 1914. Sir Clifford Sifton who became Minister of Interior
introduced an aggressive immigration policy to admit large
numbers of Ukrainian immigrants. Encouraged by letters
from relatives and friends already in Canada and by emigration
agents many Ukrainian sold everything they possessed and
left their native villages in search of better oportunities
and prosperity in Canada. Approximately 200,000 Ukrainians
entered Canada.
By the end of the first decade of this century Ukrainian
settlements began to appear and spread across the prairies
and parklands of Western Canada. In Alberta a chain of
colonies extended in a wide belt west and north from Vermilion
to the Pembina River in Central Alberta. Another block
extended from Leduc west of Breton on the North Saskatchewan
River. Ukrainians also established colonies in the Peace
River area in the rectangle High Prairie, Dawson Creek,
Peace River and High Paririe. There were also other colonies.
The development of the Candadian West and the development
of Canadian agriculture was the greatest single contribution
to the culture of this country by the Ukrainians.
In spite of their hard work and loyalty Ukrainians were
the victims of a considerable amount of discrimination.
They were discriminated against in the public press as
an inferior and undesirable element. Much of this racial
bitterness was caused by language difficulties and cultural
differences. When the World War broke out in 1914 Ukrainians
suffered the greatest hostility. When they emigrated to
Canada they did not register as Ukrainians but Galicians,
Bukovinians, Russians, Ruthemans, Austrians and so on.
They were regarded as enemy emigrated to Canada. Repressive
measures against the Ukrainians followed. Their naturalization
was suspended and their right to vote taken away. Their
newspapers were suppressed and later reinstated on the
condition that they be printed in parallel columns, English
and Ukrainian.
More than 10,000 Ukrainians enlisted in the Canadian Army.
In spite of their loyalty repressive measures against
the Ukrainians continued. Thousands of Ukrainians across
Canada were dismissed from their jobs and thousands were
rounded by the police into concentration camps. They were
all kept behind barbed wire fence and under armed guard.
The camps were located at Kapuskasing, Ontario, Spirit
Lake in north western Ontario, Brandon, Manitoba and Vermilion
and Lethbridge, Alberta. Ukrainians suffered hostility
because Canada was at war with Germany and they lived
in the Austro Hungarian Empire before they emigrated to
Canada.
Only 68,000 Ukrainians came to Canada between 1922 and
1939 and 37,000 arrived after the Second World War. Those
that emigrated to Canada between 1922 and 1939 came from
lands occupied by Poland. They were in most cases former
soldiers and officers of the Ukrainian National Army.
They were well educated, conscious of their nationality
and well set financially to begin their new life in Canada.
They were better informed about Canada.
By this time most of the land in Central Alberta was settled
and the poeple had to go north where homesteads were available.
Mr. Wasyl Smolyk worked at the C.N.R. Colonization Department
in Edmonton. His responsibility was to settle the newly
arrived immigrants on the homesteads. He established Ukrainian
colonies at Lac La Biche, Athabasca and Bonnyville areas.
There were other settlers from other localities in Alberta
because there was a shortage of good land. Drought and
depression drove away many farmers from their land and
they had to move elsewhere to start a new life.
Stanley,
Benny et Sylvestre Pszyk
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The Ukrainians came to Bonnyville in 1928. The land around
Bonnyville was already taken up by the early settlers
in 1907. Ukrainians filed on homesteads in Dupres district
and south of Bonnyville. Some of this land was rocky,
sandy and unproductive. With the money that each immigrant
brought with him, he built a log house, bought windows,
doors, beds and a stove. After he spent all the money
he worked for the farmers around Bonnyville. Many went
to Saskatchewan and other areas in Alberta to earn some
money during harvest. Some walked to Vermilion and Wainwright
to find work. These farmers suffered the most during the
depression years, because they could not make enough money
to support themselves and their families.
How did they survive? They worked for the farmers around
Bonnyville. Some sold wood to the flour mill and residents
in Bonnyville. Women and children picked wild raspberries
and blueberries which they sold to the residents in Bonnyville
or traded them in stores for sugar, lard and salt. Men
and young boys trapped muskrats and weasels to earn a
few dollars. Girls did light house keeping for the families
who could afford to pay for the hired help. With the wages
earned they were able to buy clothing. Deer, ducks, prairie
chickens and partridges were plentiful, so the farmers
had meat.
During the Second World War these farmers had more land
under cultivation and received a fair price for their
grain. After the war they made a great progress. They
built new homes, bought tractors, combines and started
to farm on a large scale. Some of them have died and others
have retired. Now their children are farming on their
farms.
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