Lev Romanyshyn For NP-UN.
British Columbia is the third jurisdiction in Canada to have a person of Ukrainian descent as the Crown's representative. On January 30, 2025, Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia was sworn in as the 31st Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia and joins past Governors-General of Canada, Ramon Hnatyshyn and Ed Schreyer and the former Lieutenant Governors of Manitoba (Sylvia Fedoruk) and Saskatchewan (Peter Liba) as the fifth such individual.
Before we delve into some of the accomplishments of The Honourable Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, C.M., O.B.C., LL.D. (Hon), Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, perhaps a short description of what a lieutenant governor is, and does, is in order:
Lieutenant governors are the highest-ranking officers of their province and represent His Majesty The King in their jurisdictions.
The lieutenant governor’s constitutional duties include swearing in the provincial government's Executive Council (premier and Cabinet); opening each session of the provincial legislative assembly and providing Royal Assent to provincial bills.
The lieutenant governor's ceremonial and community functions include: promoting a sense of identity; representing The King in the province; acting as the province's official host; supporting social causes and recognizing outstanding citizens.
To provide some context to why Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia is an excellent choice for Lieutenant Governor, we need to step back one generation. The new lieutenant governor's father, Roy Lisogar, was well known in Vancouver's Ukrainian community. He grew up in Pakan, Alberta and came to Vancouver in his teens. Among his many career ventures, he is best known as the founder of the Lisogar Construction Company. Perhaps the crown jewel in his company's portfolio of projects was building, and Roy eventually owning and operating, one of the premier hotels in Vancouver, The Century Plaza.
Roy was a known supporter of a number of charitable and philanthropic ventures, including being a founding member of the Ukrainian Canadian Professional Businessmen's Association (UCPBA) of Vancouver. One of his construction projects was the Ukrainian Manor, a senior citizens' home in Vancouver. After its completion he sold the building to the Ukrainian community for $1, with its Directors to be chosen from both the Ukrainian community at large and from the UCPBA. Roy also was a contributor to commemorative materials honouring Filip Konowal, one of the few recipients of the British Victoria Cross. Outside of the Ukrainian hromada, Roy also served as president of a local Kinsmen's club in North Vancouver.
Like father like daughter!
Roy passed on to his daughter the spirit of entrepreneurship and humility and that no work is below you – in spite of being the Owner's daughter, while growing up, she did everything at the hotel, from staffing the front desk, to painting rooms to changing bed linens. Also, he instilled in his daughter the importance of family and lastly, a sense of duty to the communities in which one lived. In the following paragraphs we will see examples of her commitments to the community at large, but both father and daughter also supported the Ukrainian community: a couple of examples still talked about here were allowing the use of the hotel ballroom for Ukrainian community events at no charge and donating a car for auction to raise funds for the Ukrainian Pavilion at the Pacific National Exhibition.
While Wendy Lisogar-Coccia is well-known in the business community as the owner and operator of the Century Plaza Hotel (taking over from her late father) and as the founder of a chain of spas, Her Honour has also been very active in community service. She is a champion for disability rights and services, and is the co-founder of the Pacific Autism Family Network in British Columbia which is a first of-its-kind knowledge and resource network in North America that provides essential information and services to people who are neurodivergent (including autism spectrum disorder) and their families. As well, she has served as Governor of the Business Council of British Columbia, as the first female Trustee of the Vancouver Police Foundation and as the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s youngest female Chair. She is a Fellow of Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia, and was a founding Director for Destination British Columbia.
In recognition of her leadership and community involvement, Her Honour is a member of the Order of Canada and of the Order of British Columbia. Also, she was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Canada’s Most Powerful Women, she has received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, the King Charles III Coronation Medal, the British Columbia Community Achievement Award and awarded Variety’s International Corporate Fundraiser of the Year.
Her resume is over-flowing with both business and community service achievements and accolades and being named as the King's representative indeed is one of the highest awards that one can receive and it is greatly deserved.
After Her Honour's swearing-in, our Honorary Consul for Ukraine in British Columbia, Lubomyr Huculak, extended his congratulations and asked her if her choice of Blue Jacket and Yellow Skirt for the ceremony was deliberate. She answered that Yes it was!
Ваша Честь: Відмінно; ми вас ґратулюємо!
The post BC’s New Lieutenant Governor: Вітаємо! appeared first on New Pathway Ukrainian News | Новий Шлях Українські Вісті.