Windsor's Holodomor Monument is back in Jackson Park.
The City of Windsor held a rededication ceremony Thursday with members of the Ukrainian Canadian community.
The monument was placed in the park in 2005 to recognize the millions of Ukrainian lives lost during Holodomor, an engineered famine recognized as genocide by the Canadian government.
In 2019, the monument had to be fenced off because of deterioration. It was removed for repairs that took much longer than expected because of the pandemic, supply chain issues, and a crane operator strike.
"To see it back in its place and it looks absolutely fantastic," said Leisha Nazarewich, president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Windsor Branch.
She said many Ukrainian Canadians come to the monument to remember the lives and legacies of the Holodomor victims. Now, with Russia's war in Ukraine, residents continue to look for a place to honour the spirit of Ukraine and its people.
"The phrase history repeats itself keeps coming into my mind over and over and over again. Why haven't we as human beings learned to live with each other in peace?" said Nazarewich. "We can do so much more now in the 21st century than we did even a century ago and we're not doing that much better."
Nazarewich said the Windsor-Essex community has been very generous since the start of the conflict raising funds for the people of Ukraine and for refugees settling in the community.