Ukrainian community missing Jackson Park Holodomor Monument at crucial time

Members of Windsor's Ukrainian community have been wondering what happened to a memorial erected in Jackson Park about 17 years ago, after it was found in pieces at the site. 

The Holodomor Memorial at the park commemorates another desperate situation Ukrainians were facing. 

Nearly 90 years ago, more than four million Ukrainians died during the Holodomor, a famine between 1932 and 1933 that has been recognized as genocide by the Canadian government. The Holodomor genocide was engineered by Joseph Stalin to starve Ukrainians and crush the country's independence movement.

Recently, the tall, black granite monument in Windsor's Jackson Park has been laying in the grass in pieces. 

The sight came as a shock to some in the community. 

"I was devastated," said Carol Guimond, president of the Windsor branch of the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada.

"We've had structural problems with it. A concrete base had cracked. They had to take the granite off of the concrete base and then we were led to understand that the black portion would be taken off and set aside until the monument was put together." 

That granite piece had to come from India, said Guimond, and was delayed for some time. 

"Apparently the granite has come in but because of the city lights display that they had at Christmas time, they did not want to take any heavy equipment in …. Now it's become spring and the ground is unstable, it's muddy, it's wet and they can't do anything to erect the monument until it improves, she said. 

A spokesperson for the city confirmed the monument needed some work, and that the pandemic did delay the necessary granite coming from India. The city said the granite arrived over the winter and work to restore the monument had begun before Russia invaded Ukraine roughly six weeks ago. 

The city said the scheduled restoration does involve taking apart the monument, so those pieces do remain onsite while work is being done. 

Guimond said she understands the city couldn't do much about the delayed materials, but that they could have taken more stringent measures to replace the monument. 

"I think more timely measures should have been made once the display was down from the Christmas lights," she said.

"It's been two years, and this is a gathering point in the city for Ukrainian people to come and remember."

Guimond said a candlelight vigil at the monument was planned for later this month. Her organization is currently raising funds and awareness for Ukrainians displaced by Russia's invasion. 

"A lot of them are stuck there," she said. 

"We know of many people waiting to come to Windsor but getting them here, to raise money for planes."

LISTEN | Hear more about the momument and efforts to bring Ukrainians to Windsor: