Person

Todaschuk, Sylvia

[194?] -

Sylvia (Stadnyk) Todaschuk, was born in Shoal Lake, Manitoba. In 1962 she married Ernest Todaschuk (1941-2012) and they had two daughters, Rosemarie and Charlene, who were born in Winnipeg. An energetic businesswoman, Sylvia purchased the original Silhouette Studio hair salon at 508 Selkirk Avenue and in 1985 she also established the Todaschuk Sisters Ukrainian Boutique on the premises, specializing in Ukrainian and Ukrainian-Canadian folk arts and cultural products (records, carvings, embroidery). From the late 1970s she was actively involved in various local Ukrainian-Canadian organizations, including the Ukrainian Canadian Committee and the Ukrainian Professional and Businness Club, and in cultural events such as the Folklorama Kiev Pavilion, Ukrainian Week, and the Ukrainian-Canadian Centennial Committee. Her business interests took her to Ukrainian-Canadian cultural festivals in all three Prairie provinces. Eager to promote and revitalize the Selkirk Avenue business district (between Main Street and Arlington Street), she became one of the founders and most active members of the Selkirk Avenue BIZ association. She spearheaded the Selkirk Avenue “Walking Tours” and sat on the board of directors of the Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone Association [Winnipeg B.I.Z.], the North End Community Renewal Corporation [NECRC], the Folk Arts Council of Winnipeg, and the Citizenship Council of Manitoba. For her activism, she received many awards including the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the City of Winnipeg Community Service Award, the Government of Canada 150 Certificate of Achievement, the 120th Anniversary of Ukrainian Settlement in Canada Volunteer Service Award, and the Alpha Omega Alumnae Woman of the Year Award.

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Created by Orest Martynowych (July 2019). Revised by N. Courrier (July 2019).