©Source: Interfax-Ukraine
The cities of Lloydminster in the province of Alberta, Canada, and Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine yesterday announced a historic sister-city agreement. Mayor Gerald Aalbers signed on behalf of Lloydminster and Mayor Andriy Fisak will be signing on behalf of Nikopol.
This agreement is the first major announcement of non-military cooperation between Canada and Ukraine in 35 years. It recognizes the long history and close relationship between Western Canada and Ukraine and will serve as the starting point for a renewal of goodwill as both cities invest in each other, through increased trade, commerce, education, athletics, and cultural exchanges.
Mayor of Lloydminster Gerald Aalbers: “I am pleased to announce that the City of Lloydminster will be partnering with Nikopol as sister cities. Council approved a motion at the July 16, 2018 council meeting for the sister city agreement. I look forward with great anticipation to building this relationship. I am eager to welcome a delegation from Nikopol in the coming months. Ukrainian heritage runs strong in Alberta, and especially in Lloydminster, and I’m honoured to witness this historic sister city agreement.”
“Canada and Ukraine enjoy close bilateral relations and the historic ties of friendship between our two countries were forged through generations of Ukrainian migration to Canada”, said Mayor Fisak. “Today, these historic bonds are reinforced by shared values and interests to produce a mature, balanced and mutually beneficial partnership for the 21st Century.” Mayor Fisak said: “I trust a Sister City Agreement between Lloydminster, Canada, and Nikopol, Ukraine, will create an environment conducive to the development of both of our communities, and will offer the possibility to strengthen our social and cultural relations – as well as improve the welfare of the residents of our two cities.”
Today’s announcement has been widely celebrated by Ukrainian-Canadians. Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz, President of Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council said, “We are thrilled with the new twinning of the Ukrainian city of Nikopol with our own Alberta city of Lloydminster. Being the first Alberta city twinned with a city in Ukraine, this will be a great opportunity to develop trade and commerce between these two municipalities. UCC-APC looks forward to working cooperatively in a variety of sectors including education, arts and culture, economic cooperation and governance.”
A key motivation for this agreement is the historic undertaking in Nikopol by Calgary-based investment firm Refraction Asset Management through its subsidiary, TIU Canada, a renewable energy company. On January 26, 2018, TIU Canada opened a 10.5-megawatt solar power plant in Nikopol with a total investment of €10.5 million (approx. CAD$16.1 million). This investment is the first investment from Canada under the 2017 Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.
Refraction Asset Management’s President, Michael Yurkovich said, “We at Refraction Asset Management are pleased to play a role in bringing together Lloydminster and Nikopol. This is the first sister city agreement in Alberta with a Ukraine city, and it’s an indicator of both the strong ties between Canada and Ukraine, as well as the success of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.”
The text of the agreement is attached separately to this release.
For more information, please contact:
(inquiries in Ukrainian should be sent via email only)
Shayne Saskiw
Principal, Alberta Counsel
780-652-1311
ss@albertacounsel.com
CANADA, HISTORIC AGREEMENT, LLOYDMINSTER, NIKOPOL, SISTER-CITY
Sweden’s IKEA, the largest furniture and household goods retailer in the world, plans to expand its network in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine after testing the first store in Kyiv-based Ocean Mall, which will be opened in summer 2019. “We want to study and understand the market with the first store, and then, when we feel that we understand the market, we will open other stores in Kyiv and other cities. One year is ideal for studying to get a full cycle… Also we are working to ensure the introduction of online sales as fast as possible,” IKEA Southeast Europe CEO Stefan Vanoverbeke said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the area of the first IKEA store in Kyiv will be about 6,000 square meters, the range of goods will include furniture and accessories.
“The store will be divided into locations. We call them room sets. It is a kind of room where we show solutions for home. In addition, there will be a concept for small household solutions. There will be all the components. We will collect the maximum number of products to provide the full and best experience for buyers,” Vanoverbeke said.
According to him, the range of items in the Ukrainian store will include products that the company sells in other countries. The company intends to develop retail outlets that will be smaller in size than traditional ones for IKEA.
“The idea to build one big shopping center in one part of the city is no longer working. For example, residents of the left bank area of Kyiv, to get to the store on the right bank, have to spend one or two hours. It is not so convenient. First, this will be downtown, and later, perhaps, we will add a food outlet, and further, probably, we will develop the concept of smaller outlets in less accessible places in the residential areas,” he said.
At the same time, Vanoverbeke said that the company does not rule out the expansion in retail space in Ukraine.
“Our colleagues have analyzed the market of large shopping centers and, indeed, in Ukraine, in comparison with the countries of Western Europe, there is an opportunity to increase the space of IKEA. Our achievements with large shopping centers are more typical for countries like China. But we are still analyzing it for Ukraine. Let’s see how the market will develop,” he said.
Ukraine has started issuing energy efficiency certificates for building with defining the class of energy efficiency after an audit, the press service of the Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Ministry of Ukraine has reported. “The certificate is a necessary tool for the operation of homeowner associations and the Energy Efficiency Fund,” Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Minister Hennadiy Zubko said.
According to the press service, the energy efficiency certificate allows assessing the energy efficiency of a building and the effect of the implemented measures, and also contains recommendations on the next steps.
“Today [on September 11] we launch the energy auditors market. We have already signed a memorandum with 21 universities to create commissions for the certification of energy auditors. The second important area for us is to launch jointly with the Ministry of Education the “energy auditor” program of study in higher educational institutions. There is an agreement with [Germany’s] GIZ on conducting additional trainings for certified energy auditors not only in Ukraine, but also abroad,” Zubko added.
He also said that the ministry is waiting for the adoption of the energy efficiency bill that will create tools and regulations for more efficient energy consumption, not only in the private sector, but also in industry, aiming to reduce energy consumption in the transport and energy sectors.
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
