Dauphin - Kosiv Sign Sister City Agreement

The cities of Dauphin, Manitoba and Kosiv, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Ukraine have concluded an official sister city designation with the signing of the first preliminary document on May 24^th, 2009 in Kosiv, Ukraine. Signing on behalf of Kosiv was Mayor Volodymyr Piteliak and on behalf of Dauphin was School Principal Stephan Jaddock (with permission of Dauphin Mayor Alex Paul). Assisting in the signing was Prof. Roman Yereniuk, a Manitoba consultant working on projects in Ukraine. The signing took place after several years of exchanges between the two cities.  It is anticipated that the official signing with both mayors in attendance will take place in early October 2009.

Among the points of the preliminary agreement were the following:

1.   sharing of know-how on municipal policies and procedures;

2.   exchanges in the field of business between the two cities;

3.   exchanges in the fields of the arts, higher education, public education, youth services, health  and non  government community organizations (NGO’s) and;

4.   projects of developing and promoting tourism

(All projects are dependent on funding and awarding of grants)

The Mayor of Dauphin, Alex Paul,  is planning to take municipal, business and community based leaders to Kosiv, Ukraine on a one-week sister city exchange in order to formally conclude the agreement and to begin the process of short and long term dialogue. It is anticipated that the Dauphin delegation will include some 10-15 community leaders.

Dauphin, Manitoba is a progressive major rural centre of 10,000 residents that services the central west area of Manitoba and has a strong agricultural base and small business sector. It hosts Canada’s National Ukrainian Festival each year and other major events such as Country Fest and Agricultural Fair.  In addition, Dauphin’s population is approximately 30% based on citizens with an ethnic Ukrainian affiliation and with a 118 year old Ukrainian Canadian cultural tradition. Dauphin is also an educational centre for Assiniboine Community College and houses the Mountain View School Division with 16 prominent educational facilities.  Also, just south of Dauphin is the former hamlet of Kosiw named after the town in Western Ukraine that it is being twinned with. This coincidence has played a major role in the choice of a sister city. 

Kosiv, Ukraine is located in the Carpathian Mountains and is one of Ukraine’s jewels in the area of the cultural arts. It is the centre of the rich traditions of the Hutsul people.  The city has approximately 10,000 inhabitants and during the summer its population swells to 25,000. Kosiv has one of the largest arts markets in Ukraine that is celebrated each Saturday morning. Kosiv is also a major municipal centre and services a mountain area of several hundred square kilometres with a strong agricultural, small market garden and small business economy. Kosiv is the hub for the local affiliate of the Lviv Institute of Fine and Decorative Arts that produces many of the finest graduate artists and artisans in Ukraine.

In addition to the twinning of Dauphin and Kosiv City Halls, the two school divisions are also being twinned. Already as a result of the trip to Kosiv, Ukraine, Dauphin’s Smith Jackson School is twinned with Kosiv School No. 1. Other opportunities exist to twin other educational institutions as well as community institutions in the two cities.

For further information contact:

Consultant Roman Yereniuk at 204 474-8907 or by email: yereniuk@cc.umanitoba.ca