To: Burnaby Hall Administration and Event Coordinators

The members and allies of the Ukrainian-Canadian community and concerned residents of the Greater Vancouver area. We respectfully urge Burnaby Hall to cancel the upcoming May 9th event commemorating the USSR’s victory over fascism.

While we acknowledge the historical significance of the end of World War II and honour the sacrifices made during that time, this particular event has increasingly become a vehicle for political messaging in support of modern-day Russian aggression. In many instances across Canada and abroad, “Victory Day” events have been co-opted by pro-Kremlin groups to glorify Soviet-era narratives and, more alarmingly, to justify or normalize Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine.

This is not just a theoretical concern. Members of our community have witnessed the display of militaristic symbols, propaganda, and even the “Z” emblem — now a symbol of Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine — at such events. These are not apolitical commemorations; they are harmful, divisive, and deeply offensive to Ukrainians and others affected by Russian aggression.

Hosting such an event at a respected community venue like Burnaby Hall risks lending legitimacy to ideologies that are fundamentally at odds with Canadian values of peace, sovereignty, and support for oppressed peoples.

We call on Burnaby Hall to:

- Cancel the upcoming May 9th event,
- Reaffirm its commitment to being a space that supports peace, inclusion, and democracy, and
- Work collaboratively with diverse communities to ensure that future events do not serve as platforms for glorifying authoritarianism or war.

This is not about erasing history. It’s about standing on the right side of it.

Sincerely,

Ukrainian community of Greater Vancouver