The Brantford Ukrainian community celebrated 11 years of Ukraines Independence by raising the Ukrainian national flag at Brantford City Hall on Friday, August 23, 2002.

More than 50 people were in attendance, including Dave Levac MPP, Alderman Mike Hancock, and Father Zenon Didukh of the Ukrainian Catholic Church of St John.

Special guest was the Honourable Jane Stewart, Minister of Human Resources and MP for Brant. Ms Stewart is one of the members of the Justice Committee who will decide the fate of Wasyl Odynsky, a man who has been cleared of all crimes and deemed a victim of the Nazis by Judge McKay and yet who still may be deported.

Dr John Skrypuch, President of Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Brant-ford Branch, presented Ms Stewart with a copy of his daughter-in-laws novel, Hopes War, which is about a teen whose Ukrainian-born grandfather has been unjustly accused of war crimes. Tucked inside the book were 62 individually signed postcards addressed to Ms Stewart, protesting the governments policy on Denaturalization & Deportation. Under the current policy, naturalized Canadians can be accused of crimes and stripped of their citizenship without ever being given a criminal trial.

Dr Skrypuch thanked Ms Stewart for her attendance at the flag raising ceremony, and he also took the opportunity to commend her for her record of honesty. I trust you to do the right thing in the matter of Mr Odynsky, he told her.