Roman Yereniuk

Roman Yereniuk is an educator and former public official in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He has been the principal of St. Andrew's College at the University of Manitoba, and was a trustee with the Winnipeg School Board from 1989 to 1995 and again from 1998 to 2006. He has also ran for the Canadian House of Commons on two occasions, as a candidate of the New Democratic Party. Yereniuk is a prominent member of Winnipeg's Ukrainian-Canadian community.

Educator and community leader

Yereniuk started working for St. Andrew's College in 1972, and became its principal in 1988. [Michael Thibault, "St. Andrew's College a haven for Ukrainian studies", "Winnipeg Free Press", 4 February 1998, p. 3.] He no longer holds the latter office, although he continues to serve as an Associate Professor of Theology. [ [http://www.umanitoba.ca/centres/ukrainian_canadian/people/yereniuk.html "Dr. Roman Yereniuk"] , University of Manitoba biographical entry, accessed 8 December 2007.] He also teaches religion at the Center for Ukrainian Canadian Studies at the University of Manitoba. He has served as president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress-Winnipeg Branch, and is its national treasurer for the 2004-07 term. [Paul Samyn, "Canada sending 500 to Ukraine", "Winnipeg Free Press", 7 December 2004, A1; [http://www.ucc.ca/about/boards.htm Board of Directors 2004-07, Ukrainian Canadian Congress] , accessed 8 August 2007.] He has also been a board member of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and head of the Christian and Heritage Education Committee of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada. [ [http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2000/460020.shtml "Ukrainian activist from Winnipeg runs in November federal election", "Ukrainian Weekly", 12 November 2000, No. 46.] ]

Yereniuk has written extensively about the Ukrainian-Canadian community, in such fields as Ukrainians in politics [ [http://www.infoukes.com/newpathway/3-2006_Page_6-1.htm Roman Yereniuk, "Election 2006: A Look at Western Canada"] , accessed 8 August 2007; [Six Ukrainian Canadians Elected in Western Canada in the 2006 Election Roman Yereniuk] , "How Ukrainian-Canadian Candidates Fared in the West"] , accessed 8 August 1997.] and the Ukrainian Orthodox faith. ["Easter holiest time of Christian year", "Winnipeg Free Press", 13 April 1995; Glen MacKenzie, "Local Ukrainians mark St. Andrew's Day", "Winnipeg Free Press", 14 December 1996, A6; Roman Yereniuk, Letter to the editor, "Winnipeg Free Press", 8 October 1997, A11; Roman Yereniuk, "Easter comes tomorrow for many Christians", "Winnipeg Free Press", 29 April 2000, C5. See also [http://www.ukrweekly.com/Archive/2001/430133.shtml Roman Yereniuk, "Survey says... these are the top 100 Ukrainian heroes/heroines"] , "Ukrainian Weekly", 28 October 2001, No. 43.] He has been vice-chairman of the board of "Ukrainian Voice" newspaper, and helped oversee the release of the video "Headlines: 90 years of the Ukrainian Voice Weekly" in 2001. [Carol Sanders, "History coming to life in video", "Winnipeg Free Press", 5 April 2001, A6.] In 1990, he co-authored a book entitled "Moments to Faith: Ukrainian Churches in Manitoba", released by the University of Manitoba Press. He latter issued a video entitled "The Theotokos in the Ukrainian Religious Tradition", studying icons in Ukrainian religious culture. [ [http://ourfatherswillcommunications.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=TOTBMC&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RY01 "The Theotokos in the Ukranian Religious Tradition"] , Our Father's Will Communications, accessed 8 August 2007.]

Yereniuk has also been active in the labour movement, and has served as vice-president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 3909. [Leah Janzen, "U of M students to feel the pinch", "Winnipeg Free Press", 18 February 2006, A6.] He was an international observer to the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election and the 2006 Ukrainian parliamentary election. [Jason Bell, "Liberal brings money, gets gift", "Winnipeg Free Press", 29 April 2005, A6; Jon Skerritt, "Manitobans to observe election process in Ukraine", "Winnipeg Free Press", 19 March 2006, A3.]

chool trustee

Winnipeg's school board has nine trustees, elected in multi-member wards. Yereniuk first sought election to the board's third ward in 1986, but was narrowly defeated for the final position. He tried again in 1989 and won, and was re-elected in 1992. After the election, he caucused with the New Democratic Party group of trustees. [Aldo Santin, "NDP grip on board ends", "Winnipeg Free Press", 27 October 1995, A4.]

Yereniuk served as a Regional Director of the Manitoba Association of School Trustees in 1993-94. [Gordon Arnold, "Winnipeg School Board", "Winnipeg Free Press", 21 March 1993.] In 1994, he voted against a proposal to teach greater tolerance toward homosexuals in Winnipeg schools. [Bill Redekop, "Board defeats gay ed motion", "Winnipeg Free Press", 19 October 1994.] Yereniuk indicated that he believed homosexuality should be addressed in schools "with dignity and sensitivity", but argued that it was the responsibility of the provincial government to bring it into the curriculum. [Lindor Reynolds, "No steps forward, several back", 21 October 1994.] He was narrowly defeated in the 1995 municipal election, losing the final position in Ward Three to Luba Fedorkiw. He later began a court challenge against the election of Mike Babinsky, another successful candidate, on the grounds that he had not fulfilled Winnipeg's residency requirements. He dropped the challenge in May 1996, citing financial strain. [Paul Samyn, "Trustee 'screwed up'", "Winnipeg Free Press", 14 June 1996, A4.]

Yereniuk returned to the school board in the 1998 election, as the school board shifted to the left. [Nick Martin, "Winnipeg school board takes left turn as voters back NDP-endorsed candidates", "Winnipeg Free Press", 29 October 1998, A12.] In 1999, he supported a proposal to rehire the city's truant officers. [Nick Martin, "Board eyes return of truant officers", "Winnipeg Free Press", 11 March 1999, A8.] He later opposed the imposition of province-wide language arts exams for grades six and nine, [Nick Martin, "Trustees decie Grade 9s must write English exam" [sic] , "Winnipeg Free Press", 4 November 1999, A9; Nick Martin, "WSD rejects optional standards tests", "Winnipeg Free Press", 10 September 2002, A10.] and in 2001 suggested introducing Ukrainian-language arts courses for grades nine through twelve at a central location in Winnipeg. [Nick Martin, "Consortium seeks Ukrainian high school", "Winnipeg Free Press", 29 November 2001, A6.]

He was re-elected in 2002, and supported a controversial pay raise the following year. [Nick Martin, "City trustees vote for pay raise", "Winnipeg Free Press", 18 February 2003, B2.] In 2003, he called for the Winnipeg School Division to become a partner in the proposed Canadian Museum for Human Rights. [Nick Martin, "WSD seeks to get involved with human rights museum", "Winnipeg Free Press", 22 April 2003, B3.] He later endorsed a complete ban on smoking in the Winnipeg school division. [Nick Martin, "School smoking ban narrowly defeated", "Winnipeg Free Press", 30 August 2005, B1.]

In 2005, Yereniuk was one of three trustees to vote in favour of introducing major changes to the Winnipeg School Board's system of election. [Nick Martin, "Trustees reject ward system revamp", "Winnipeg Free Press", 20 December 2005, A5.] He was defeated in the 2006 election, again losing the third position in Ward Three.

Federal candidate

Yereniuk campaigned for the federal New Democratic Party in the 1997 and 2000 elections, in Winnipeg—St. Paul. On both occasions, he lost to Liberal incumbent Rey Pagtakhan.

Electoral record

Footnotes