Tucked away in a corner of a park in downtown Halifax sits a sculpture some have never noticed.
It’s called “Vytaiemo,” which means “welcome” in Ukrainian, and it’s been in Peace and Friendship Park for 30 years.
The bronze monument was installed in 1992 to commemorate a century since Ukrainians first arrived in Canada in 1891.
Now, people have placed sunflowers, roses, and yellow and blue ribbons around it — the war in Ukraine has made it stand out.
“I was quite touched and humbled to think that somebody discovered it and that it was a place to kind of witness that Canada does embrace Ukraine,” said its artist Dawn MacNutt from her home in Little Harbour, NS
MacNutt sculpted the piece, but credits a man in the Ukrainian community for the concept.
It’s an abstract human figure draped in two Canadian flags. The figure is holding an embroidered cloth, known as a “rushnyk”, that shows a braided ring of bread and a cellar of salt.
“A particular bread that’s given with salt that’s given to newcomers. It’s a sign of welcome,” MacNutt said.
The figure faces Pier 21 and the harbor — a port that long offered shelter to newcomers.
“The statue seems to commemorate approximately 150,000 Ukrainian immigrants that came to Canada in what largely is sort of looked at as the first wave of Ukrainian immigration to Canada,” said Pier 21 historian Jan Raska.
That was in 1891, and most moved West. After the Second World-War, more people arrived.
“Approximately 32,000 Ukrainian refugees came with the displaced persons movement resettled in Canada,” Raska said.
Today, more Ukrainians may come to Canada, as war a pushed by Russia, pushes them from their homes.