Hanna M. Pappius
Stefan Władysiuk

In the academic years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 the activities at the Polish Library were maintained at the level established in previous years. Over 17,000 books were borrowed annually from our community lending library. Our internal computerized catalogue now contains over 25,000 positions, 14,400 of which considered of academic interest, appear in the McGill on-line catalogue with location designation Polish Institute Library. 180 books purchased from the McGill University Juttings Foundation funds were added to the collection. 

More than $10,000 was spent annually on the purchase of new books and on subscriptions of periodicals. While as usual most of the books were in Polish, in connection of an extensive participation of European publishers at the 2006 and 2007 Salon de livre de Montreal we were able to purchase relatively large number of translations into French of modern Polish authors. As in previous years, we wish to acknowledge with thanks the complimentary subscriptions to leading Polish newspapers Rzeczypospolita and Gazeta Wyborcza and the weeklies Warsaw Voice and Polityka, as well as several Canadian and US Polish-language publications. According to an earlier agreement with the firm Polmedia we receive newspapers from Poland within 2 or 3 days of their publication.

The establishment of a monthly lending service on the West Island for the benefit of the children at the John Paul II Saturday Polish school was a recent new pilot project of the Library. Organized in collaboration with the Parents Association at the school, this initiative has proven so successful that it is planned as a permanent arrangement for the forthcoming school year.

Among the book donations to the Library during the last two years, the facsimile of the XI century missal Codex Aureus Gnesnensis, a gift of Mr. Andrzej Rostworowski of Rawdon, is of particular interest. The original, written in gold, is found in the treasury of the Cathedral of Gniezno. A similar facsimile was presented to Pope John Paul II during one of his pilgrimages to Poland. Mr. Rostworowski received his copy from the Bishop of Gniezno in recognition of his contributions as a film producer. 
The Library’s Internet home-page, www.biblioteka.info, includes links to the majority of Polish organizations in Canada and continues to attract many visitors (more than 70,000 since its inception in 1999). We are grateful to our volunteer, Mr. Andrzej Leszczewicz for its design and regular updating. 

The Polish community continues to support the Library financially. As in previous years, we received substantial donations from the Polish Socio-Cultural Foundation of Quebec, the Millenium Fund of Toronto, Mickiewicz Foundation in Toronto, the Polish Credit Union in Montreal, as well as gifts from many individual donors. Once again we wish to acknowledge the generous donations from Bell Canada to honor the volunteer work of Mrs. Anna Czerwińska, a retired employee of that Company.

Modernization of our computer system was made possible in 2006 thanks to a grant from the Senate of the Republic of Poland for the purchase of new computers. We also acknowledge with thanks the help of McGill University Libraries for covering the cost of the connection to the University high speed backbone.

The Librarian, Mr. Stefan Władysiuk, reported on our Library activities at the Annual Conferences of the Association of Polish Libraries and Museums in the West, held in September 2006 in Budapest, Hungary and in September 2007 in Fawley Court, UK. 
Archival materials from our Library were used at the exhibition Polish Emigration to Canada before 1918 organized at the Royal Łazienki Palace in Summer 2006. At the opening of that exhibition Prof. Hanna M. Pappius, director of our Library, discussed the monograph Poza Gniazdem (Out of the nest: picture of Polish women emigrants in Canada in the XX century) by Prof. Maria Jarochowska, just then published by the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada.

The operation of the Library would not be possible without the efforts of a devoted team of volunteers who work unfailingly at a variety of library tasks. They are Halina Babińska, Teresa Brodowska, Marieta Brzeska, Andrzej Czerwiński, Anna Giżycka, Janina Kędzierska, Czesław Lorenc, Elżbieta Matug, Krystyna Missala, Beata Podgórska, Zofia Romer and Krystyna Sokołowska. 

We note with deep sadness the passing in April 2007 of Mrs. Anna Czerwińska, a friend and a long-time particularly devoted volunteer of the Library.
 
 

Translation Irene Tomaszewski

The principal undertaking during the academic year of 2006-7 was the preparation for an international colloquium dedicated to the works of Bruno Schulz, and in 2007-8 the publication of the papers presented at this colloquium. At the same time, the Institute carried on with its usual program of lectures and publishing, as well as organizing exhibits of the Institute’s collection of graphic art from the inter-war period.

Cooperation with the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (PAU)

The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences in Kraków (PAU) recognized the Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada (PINK) as an associated research centre. A copy of the letter to this effect, signed by the president of the Academy, Professor Andrzej Białas, and the Secretary General, Professor Jerzy Wyrozumski, appears below. This distinction is in recognition of the high regard for PINK’s contribution to the joint effort in promoting Polish culture and academic achievements in Canada. This cooperation includes PINK’s invitations to Polish scholars, such as Professor Jerzy Stachura in 2006, Professor Zbigniew Moser in 2007, and Professor Maria Poprzecka, to take part in the Schulz colloquium.

The Bruno Schulz Conference

An international conference on the life and work of Bruno Schulz was held on May 4 and 5 at McGill University, titled Bruno Schulz: new readings, new meanings / nouvelles lectures, nouvelles significations.

The conference was organized by the Polish institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada in collaboration with the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences, The Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw, and McGill University, and made possible by financial support from the Senate of the Republic of Poland, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Canada, the Consulate General of Poland in Montreal, and La Corporation Québec-Pologne pour les Arts in Montreal.

Planned over the course of two years, the conference gathered together outstanding authorities on the subject from many countries, including Belgium, France, Canada, Poland, the United States and Ukraine. With a total of 10 sessions, the first day was devoted to Schulz’s literary works, while the second to his paintings and drawings. The keynote lecture, Schulz: Universality and poetics of the episode, was presented by Professor Jerzy Jarzębski of Jagiellonian University. Representing the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences was Professor Maria Poprzecka from the University of Warsaw.
The other participating universities were Montreal’s McGill, Concordia, Université de Montréal and UQAM, Columbia University in New York, Sorbonne (Paris IV), the Catholic University of Leuven, and the Pedagogical University of Drohobych, Schulz’s hometown in present day Ukraine.

The event was the most important symposium dedicated to Schulz’s work ever held in North America. Participants agreed that the conference brought not only Schulz’s work to the attention of new audiences, but also the little known cultural life of interwar Poland. Beyond that, as noted by the Polish ambassador to Canada in his letter to the Institute, the conference contributed a great deal to help overcome mutual stereotypes among Poles and Jews.

To see the program and the materials of the conference, please see: www.brunoschulz.mcgill.ca

Exhibits of PINK’s collection of graphic arts

Two exhibits of PINK’s interwar collection of graphic arts took place in Poland in 2006, first from May-July at the National Library in Warsaw and then from August-October at the National Museum in Kraków. The Kraków exhibit was part of their series, Treasures of Polish emigration. Professor Hanna Pappius represented the Institute at the official openings.

Lecture Series

During the past two years, the institute organized more than 20 conferences and lectures. Apart from the Schulz conference and the two excellent lectures by visiting scholars from PAU, two notable events took place in conjunction with the book fair, Salon du livre de Montreal. The first, in 2006, was the promotion of Agata Tuszyńska’s book, Rodzinna historia lęku. The other, in 2007, was a meeting with Rita Gombrowicz, author of Gombrowicz en Argentine and with commentary by a specialist in Gombrowicz’s work, Professor Dominique Garand. Both events took place at the Consulate General of Poland in Montreal.

Publishing

In August, 2007, Polish Academy and the Institute in Montreal jointly published the memoirs of the commander of the Kraków Army, General Antoni Szylling, who had spent the final years of his life in Montreal. The manuscript for the book, Moje dowodzenie we wrześniu 1939, had been consigned to the Polish Library by the general himself. The preface was written by Professor Marian Zgórniak, a military historian. 

At the present time, PAU-PINK are working on their next book, the Bruno Schulz conference papers, which will be published this year. Professor Alfred Hałasa, who designed the official poster for the conference, is responsible for the design of the book.
The Institute also played an active role in promoting Professor Maria Jarochowska’s book, POZA GNIAZDEM Wizerunek emigrantki polskiej w Kanadzie w XX wieku. Professor Hanna Pappius, Director of the Institute and Library in Montreal, attended the launch of the book at the Museum of Emigration at Łazienki, in Warsaw.

Cooperation with Polonia organizations

The Institute once again took part in the organization of the annual Summer University of Polish Culture in Rome, and continues its collaboration with educational and cultural institutes throughout worldwide Polonia. An important part of this work is the exchange of publications.

Professor Józef Lityński, President of the Institute, and the Vice-President of the Institute, Stanisław Latek, participated in Program Committee at the Congress of Polish Societies of Arts and Sciences Abroad. The Committee is undertaking the organization of the 2nd congress of the societies, scheduled for September 2008.
The Institute took part in the General Meeting of the Canadian Polish Congress that took place in Calgary in October, 2006, represented by Dr. Alexander Jabłoński of Ottawa, and Dr. Juliusz Kirejczyk from Toronto. 

The Canadian Foundation for Polish Studies 

Kinia Adamczyk 2006 -2007 
In September 2006, I took up the presidency of the Canadian Foundation for Polish Studies (CFPS). Kasia Wiśniewska, who recently finished a BA in English literature at McGill and is currently working for CD-Pharma, became its vice-president. 
We met the founding president, Irene Tomaszewski, at a summer conference called Poland in the Rockies, which CFPS co-organizes every two years together with the Polish Canadian Association of Calgary. The Foundation sent three students from Montreal to the conference, in which 33 students and young professionals from North America and Europe participated. They all benefited from full scholarships for the occasion. 

During 12 days, we attended Polish Studies conferences given by prominent journalists, history, literature, politics and art scholars in formal and informal settings. This allowed us to delve deeper into issues that interested us the most while chatting over coffee or a hike in the mountains. 

Further information is available on www.polandintherockies.com, and in my article Rock & Pole (page 90). The article was also published in Edmonton Panorama, on the Canadian Journalism Project's website, in Concordia's The Link and York University's Excalibur for a detailed account of Poland in the Rockies. A Polish version of the article, Szkoła ambasadorów polskości, was also featured in Gazeta and Biuletyn Polonijny. 
Kasia Wiśniewska and I were interviewed about Poland in the Rockies during an episode of TV Polonia. We mentioned we were inspired by the lectures we attended there and were eager to satiate our hunger to find out more about Poland and to situate it within our Canadian lives. Furthermore, we were, by this time, infected by the contagious passion for Polish history and we enthusiastically accepted the invitation to join the Canadian Foundation for Polish Studies and continue its work. 

We quickly set out to organize a dramatization of Mrs. Tomaszewski's book, Inside a Gestapo Prison: The Letters of Krystyna Wituska, which took place on November 10, 2006 at Concordia's DeS?ve theatre. Alexi Marchel, a University of Toronto student who also attended Poland in the Rockies, performed Wituska's role in a performance that attracted an audience of over 100 people, Polish and Canadian, young and old. 
We promoted the event in various newspapers in Montreal, and on CBC Radio and on Polish radio. Our big reward was that the CBC profiled Krystyna Wituska, a member of the Polish wartime resistance, as part of its commemoration of Remembrance Day. Concordia library acquired copies of the book for its collection, which subsequently received a very positive review in Concordia's newspaper The Link. Świecie Nasz featured an interview with Ms. Marchel and The Concordian covered the dramatization itself. 
Fuelled by the success of our first event, we planned another one: a screening of Exiles: a Polish Journey, based on Halina Ogonowska-Coates's book Krystyna's Story. The movie, which touched upon the stories of Poles living in New Zealand but who had been deported to Siberia during World War II, was followed by a lively discussion with Mrs. Halina Babińska, a woman who shared the fate of the movie's subjects. The Concordian featured an interview with Mrs. Babińska a week before the screening, which we also promoted in various Montreal papers and on the Polish radio. 

Over 150 people, including veterans, students and scholars attended the event, which took place at Concordia's DeSeve Theatre on March 4, 2007. A Concordia history professor requested a copy of the movie to show to her students. 

Katarzyna Romer Wiśniewska 2007 - 2008, 

With Kinia gone to study in Europe, I am very grateful to Anna Kisielewska, who was member of the Polish Students’ Association of Montreal a few years ago, for her enthusiastic support. The main objective for CFPS was to continue presenting Polish history at one of the English universities in Montreal. 
This year, we organized two lectures at McGill. In October, Professor Tadeusz Piotrowski of the University of New Hampshire came to talk about the wartime deportations of Poles to the Gulag, and their subsequent resettlement all over the world. Once again we had a large audience, among them many students. It was interesting to see that among those attending were some survivors of the deportations accompanied by their children and grandchildren. A good discussion followed Professor Piotrowski’s lecture.

The second event was a lecture by Professor Eva Plach of Wilfrid Laurier University who discussed her book, The Clash of Moral Nations: Cultural Politics in Piłsudski’s Poland, 1926-1935.

CFPS is continuing its collaboration with the Polish Canadian Association of Calgary organizing the third edition of Poland in the Rockies, which will take place in Canmore, Alberta, July 18-28, 2008. Created by Tony Muszynski and his dynamic colleagues in the Calgary association, and largely funded by the Polish communities of Alberta, PitR brings together university students and outstanding speakers from Canada, the United States and Europe. CFPS founding president, Irene Tomaszewski, is the program director. For complete details, please see www.polandintherockies.com
As a participant of Poland in the Rockies 2006, I join Kinia in saying that this program awakened a great interest in our Polish heritage and inspired us to contribute whatever we can towards promoting a greater awareness of Polish history and culture among our fellow Canadians. Our plans for the next academic year include a screening of the excellent BBC documentary, The Battle for Warsaw, and we hope to have the director, Wanda Koscia, with us.

We are grateful to the Polish Institute for supporting our events, Dr. Ryszard Grygorczyk for his generous hospitality, and to Stefan Władysiuk in particular for his help.
We sincerely thank the Polish Socio-cultural Foundation in Quebec as well a Mr. Zbigniew Małecki and Mr. Janusz Mazur for their special encouragement and support.
Aleksander Maciej Jabłoński, Richard Sokoloski, Jolanta Leśniak

ACTIVITIES OF THE OTTAWA BRANCH 

In the past year the Ottawa Branch of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada (PINK) actively cooperated with the principal Polish-Canadian organizations in Ottawa, such as the Polish Combatants Association in Canada (SPK), Branch No. 8, Ottawa, and the Canadian Polish Congress (KPK) - National Capital Branch. The Ottawa Branch of PINK is a member organization of the Canadian Polish Congress (KPK), as well as one of three branches of PINK, registered by the Executive Committee of KPK. The Ottawa Branch of PINK has currently 53 members, of which about 45 paid their membership fees.

Five distinguished members of our Branch passed away in the past two years: Irena Bystramowa (de domo Dolanski-Roniker) and Henryk Kozłowski (Lieut. AK, DZS na Kraj, ps. ‘Kmita’), prof. Wiktor Szyrynski, M.D., psychiatrist, former President of the Institute, Professor Emeritus, University of Ottawa, prof. Irena Mazurkiewicz-Kwilecka, pharmacologist, Professor Emeritus, University of Ottawa.
As in previous years, the Ottawa Branch of PINK organized lectures and sponsored various cultural activities. Ten Executive Committee meetings and several informal meetings took place during the year. The President and the Delegate to KPK participated in most meetings of the Canadian Polish Congress, National Capital Branch. The President participated as Delegate in the XXXIX General Convention of KPK in Calgary on 6-8 October 2006, during which Mr. Władysław Lizoń was elected President, along with a new Executive Committee. 

On May 16, 2006, during the General and Electoral Meeting of the Ottawa Branch, the following Executive Committee members were elected for the period 2006-2009:

Dr. Aleksander M. Jabłoński President; Vice-President of the Canadian Executive Committee of PINK 
Prof. Richard Sokoloski Vice-President, liaison University of Ottawa 
Dr. Jolanta Leśniak Secretary, Archivist 
Dr. Jan Samborski Treasurer 
Dr. Andrzej M. Garlicki Senior Advisor 
Prof. Maria Loś Liaison University of Ottawa 
Dr. Ewa Siekierska Delegate to KPK 
Prof. Barbara Szyszkowicz Liaison Carleton University 
Dr. Jerzy M. Zarzycki Senior Advisor 

Following the election of the new Executive, the President confirmed that the Branch would focus on three principal tasks: 
Enhancing the prestige of PINK by organizing scholarly lectures at The University of Ottawa and Carleton University (in co-operation with The Polish Academy of Arts & Sciences on the basis of the signed agreement between PINK and the latter). These lectures would be included in the academic calendar.

Organizing a yearly series of scholarly lectures and meetings. The lectures were to be carefully chosen and confirmed by the Executive. Each member of PINK (as well as non-members) could approach the Executive with proposals.

The Ottawa Branch of PINK organized a number of meetings and lectures in the academic years 2006-2007 and 2007-2008. A detailed list follows:

17.08.2006 Rev. Prof. Andrzej Gretkowski, John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Pawel Wlodkowic College of Plock – Oblicze współczesnego Kościoła w Polsce – Słów kilka [Aspects of The Church in Today’s Poland], Saint Paul University. 
26.09.2006 Mr. Kajetan Bieniecki, Montreal, Quebec – book launch: Lotnicze wsparcie dla Armii Krajowej i polskie załogi nad Europą 1942-1945 - Polacy w operacjach specjalnych [Air Support for The Home Army and Polish Crews over Europe 1942-1945: Poles in Special Operations], Saint Paul University 
16.10.2006 Dr. Tadeusz Karol Kopys, Jagiellonian University – The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and Its Impact on Poland – Saint Paul University 
16.01.2007 Dr. Maciej Jablonski, Ottawa – Brygada Świętokrzyska NSZ 1944 – 1945 w świetle nowych badań [The Swietokrzyski Brigade of the National Armed Forces 1944-1945: New Research]– Dom Polski SPK (jointly with Branch No. 8 SPK) 
28.02.2007 Prof. Józef Lityński, Montreal, President of PINK Canada– Moje spojrzenie na Polskę po 18 latach odzyskania niepodlełości [My Views on Poland Eighteen Years after the Regaining of Independence] – Saint Paul University 
27.03.2007 Dr. Daniel Sansfaçon, Director, Policy, Research & Evaluation, National Crime Prevention Centre, Ottawa – Crime Trends and Crime Prevention in Canada – Saint Paul University 
19.04.2007 Prof. Maria Łoś, Prof. Richard Sokoloski, University of Ottawa– Poetry Readings of Maria Łoś: A Bilingual Presentation – University of Ottawa (jointly with the Slavic Research Group and the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, University of Ottawa) 
01.05.2007 Prof. Jerzy Jarzębski, Jagiellonian University, Cracow – Bruno Schultz – Saint Paul University 
08.05.2007 Dr. Maciej Jabloński, Ottawa – Rola ,,Sokoła" i ,,Zarzewia" w odzyskaniu niepodległości [The Role of the ‘Sokół’ and ‘Zarzewie’ Movements in the Regaining of Independence]  – Dom Polski SPK (jointly with Branch Nr. 8 SPK). 
05.10.2007 Eng. arch. Stanisław Szaflarski-Dziana, St. Catherines/Toronto – Pytomy piyknie na posiady z gazdą (We invite you for a special folk meeting with a master-shephard – gazda) – Dom Polski SPK (jointly with Polish Women Federation). 
14.12.2007 Dr. Maciej Jabłoński, Ottawa – Lustracja w Polsce A.D. 2007 (Verification – Lustration in Poland in 2007) – Dom Polski (jointly with Branch Nr. 8 of SPK) 
29.01.2008 Ms. Shirley Mask Connolly, Curator of the Polish Kashub Heritage Museum, Wilno, Ontario – Celebrating Canada’s Kashubs 1858-2008, Special lecture commemorating the 150th anniversary of the first large group of Poles (Kashubs) landing to Canada – Saint Paul University (with Wilno Heritage Society and in collaboration with the Canadian-Polish Congress – Ottawa Region and the Canadian-Polish Heritage Institute “Kaszuby”). 
28.02.2008 Prof. Stanislaw Dubiski, M.D., Ottawa/Toronto – Śpiewacy-kastraci w liturgii kościelnej i na scenach operowych w XVI – XX w. (Castrate singers in church liturgy and in opera from 16th – 20th century) – Saint Paul University 
15.04.2008 Dr. George J. Metelski – Early Modern Scientific World View – Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Newton – Saint Paul University 

Attendance at lectures and meetings varied between 10 and 100 participants (average were about 30-40 participants).

On November 11, 2006, the President took part in the ceremonial laying of wreaths on the graves of Polish generals buried in the Notre-Dame Cemetery in Ottawa. This was the eighth such ceremony arranged by the Polish Combatants Association in Ottawa. The ceremony was the original initiative of the President. On 11 November 2007 the same ceremonial was organized under patronage of the Polish Combatants Association in Ottawa but together with the Institute.

On November 12, 2007, the Commemorative Ceremony of Polish Independence Day was held. The President delivered an occasional address in the form of a historical essay entitled Poznań w walce o niepodległość Ojczyzny – 1918-1919 i 1956 [Poznań in the Struggle for an Independent Homeland 1918-1919 and 1956]. In attendance at St Hyacinth Parish of Ottawa were: Fr. Stanislaw Kowal, OMI; His Excellency Dr. Piotr Ogrodziński, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland in Canada; Cmdr. Piotr Starobrat, military attaché of the Polish Armed Forces, Canada; Mr. Jerzy Czartoryski, newly elected President, KPK, Ottawa Region, along with numerous representatives of the Polish community of Ottawa. The artistic portion of the ceremony was prepared by Ms. Agnieszka Kubiak-Pukalska, Director of the Jan Paderewski Choir of Ottawa. For the first time, the general public was invited to join in the singing of several patriotic songs, which was accepted with great zeal.

Prof. Richard Sokoloski proposed a range of serious initiatives with regard to the activities of the Branch, proposals which were intended to enhance the prestige of the Institute in Ottawa. The initiatives were unanimously accepted by the Executive, which has already undertaken appropriate preparatory measures in their direction. It is to be noted that the initiatives are consistent with earlier plans of renewal relating to the Institute. One such example is the organization of a symposium especially designed for Polish youth in the approaching academic year 2008-2009, a year which also coincides with the 150th anniversary of the arrival of significant groups of Poles in Canada, who settled in the Barry’s Bay region. An organizing committee has been established. Another proposal, a meeting between students of the University of Ottawa and members of PINK, was successfully arranged. 

The Ottawa Branch of PINK will continue its activity in developing additional means of cooperation with other organizations in the Polish Community (SPK, SIP [Association of Polish Engineers], The Polish-Canadian Club, The Polish Women’s Federation of Canada, KPK), along with local universities, as well as with institutions in Poland such as The Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences (based of the agreement signed by the National Executive Committee of PINK and The Academy), and the Polish Embassy in Ottawa. The President participated in a number of meetings of KPK-Ottawa, though in a lesser number at the executive level. Thanks to the assistance of the Ottawa Branches of SIP and KPK, the Ottawa Branch of PINK is developing its web-site (http://www.kpk-ottawa.org/pink/ )

THE POLISH INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES IN CANADA
TORONTO BRANCH

Translation: I. Kirejczyk and J. Kozak

During the reporting period (March 2006 – March 2008), the Toronto Branch of the Polish Institute of Art and Sciences in Canada cooperated with the following scientific institutions and Polish organizations in Toronto: the University of Toronto, the Canadian-Polish Research Institute, the Association of Polish Engineers in Canada, and the Polonia York organization in Newmarket.
Currently, our branch has 26 members, with 18 members actively participating in its activities.

The Board of Directors of our branch remained unchanged during the year and comprised of: 
Iwona Kirejczyk, Ph.D President 
Prof. Tamara Trojanowska, Ph.D Vice-President 
Elżbieta Cytowska, M.Sc. Treasurer 
Anna Paudyn, Ph.D. Secretary and Member of the Audit Committee 
Zdzisław Zbieranowski, Ph.D. Audit Committee member 

On June 1, 2006 we organized the lecture of Dr. Andrzej Wójcicki. The title of his 
presentation was The Precious Health. Here are some topics discussed 
during that presentation:
new trends in treating and prevention of diseases, 
the importance of balneology in the prevention and treatment of diseases,
the integration of classical and scientific (conventional) medicine,
the role of hormonotherapy and supplements, - the role of diet in diseases prevention. 
In October and November 2006, our branch participated in organizing two more seminars by Dr. Andrzej Wójcicki: Biomarkers - Find out Your Risk Factor for Stroke, Heart Disease and Dementia and Human Growth Hormones - Do You Want to Know More About the Anti-Aging?
Dr. Juliusz Kirejczyk, a member of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in Canada, Toronto Branch, participated in the meetings of The Council of the Canadian Polish Congress as a representative of the Institute. In October 2006, Dr. J. Kirejczyk represented the Institute and our Branch at the XXXIX General Convention of the Canadian Polish Congress in Calgary. 

Our branch initiated an action to create the Documentation Centre of Polish-Canadians, so the main field of interest of the branch during the last year focused on the activities which would lead to establishing such a Centre. 

The branch has established the basic principles of organizing the project, which would take the form of an internet site allowing collection and presentation of documents, primary sources, scientific works and general information about Polish-Canadians of origin. Members of the Branch made numerous efforts directed at obtaining financial resources which would allow implementing the project. The main problem to solve was to find an institution which would cooperate with the Institute and would satisfy the formal conditions of applying for a grant from governmental sources. Toronto Branch of the Institute is not a non-profit corporation, nor a charitable foundation, and as such – in the eyes of Ontario law – is not eligible for such a grant.

The Toronto branch undertook negotiations with Mississauga Heritage Foundation, the Maksymilian Kolbe Foundation in Mississauga, the Adam Mickiewicz Foundation and with Polish Canadian Congress. Talks with the first two above foundations proved fruitless. Negotiations with other organizations continue.
In May 2007, Professor Tamara Trojanowska, Dr. Iwona Kirejczyk and Dr. Juliusz Kirejczyk participated in the international conference on the life and works of Bruno Schulz, organized by the Polish Institute of Art and Sciences in Canada at McGill University in Montreal. 

The Branch was also actively engaged in promoting the film Upside Down. The objective of the film is to raise the level of awareness of the Canadian youth regarding Genocide during the Second World War. Its main goal is to rectify the historically false beliefs regarding the so-called ‘Polish death camps’. The film is to be shown to grade 6, 7 and 8 students in one of the schools in Aurora. 

Members of the Toronto Branch took part in numerous events organized by the Polish Canadian Congress, Toronto Branch, celebrating important Polish historical anniversaries (May 3rd, November 11th, the anniversary of the Katyń Massacre).
Toronto Branch will continue cooperation with other branches of the Polish Scientific Institute in Canada, other Polish-Canadian organizations and local institutions of higher education.