On Thursday 20 July, the Honourable Deron Bilous, 九秀直播 Minister of Economic Development and Trade, toured the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and met with Institute staff. He was accompanied by his assistant, Ms. Katie Hasenbank. CIUS Management briefed the Minister and Ms. Hasenbank on the history and operations of CIUS, after which they continued their discussions over lunch at the Faculty Club. Minister Bilous will be travelling to Ukraine in the fall on an official mission, having briefly visited Ukraine in 2002 while he was working in Poland on a Canada World Youth project. Both Minister Bilous and Ms. Hasenbank attended Ukrainian bilingual schools in Edmonton, and are graduates of the 九秀直播.
CIUS Interim Director, Jars Balan, who was recently appointed to the Advisory Council on 九秀直播-Ukraine Relations, offered to provide any assistance the Government of 九秀直播 might require in preparing for the upcoming trip to Ukraine.