Post Tagged with: "Ottawa"

Christmas reflections

Christmas reflections

For the past several months, despite continuing to edit this journal, I try to keep to the principle of moderation when it comes to Hungarian politics and political news emanating from Budapest. I do that by actively tuning out for at least part of each weekend. For one, I am reading many more books than before (primarily literary fiction) and […]

by · December 23, 2018 · Culture
Cover design by Daniella Postavsky (Iguana Books)

I Have Demons — When the editor of HFP writes a book

Before I got involved with current events in Hungary, I wrote fiction and occasionally poetry. I began my post-secondary education as an undergraduate student in English literature, immersed mostly in Canadian and British literary fiction. Some fifteen years later and after writing more than one thousand articles on current affairs in my two online publications, I felt that it was […]

by · November 21, 2018 · Culture
Richard Beaudette OMI

We cannot be silent or inactive

This weekend we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist. John was a prophet, sent to proclaim God’s word to Israel, to remind them of their vocation as God’s People and to announce the coming of the Messiah. Like John the Baptist and all the prophets who came before and after him, we too are called to a prophetic ministry […]

by · June 23, 2018 · Politics
A homeless man on Central Budapest's Andrássy út.

Homelessness to become unconstitutional in Hungary

It’s certainly not the first time that Fidesz, Hungary’s ruling party, moves to criminalize homelessness. But this time the Orbán government is preparing to go further than ever before, by amending the country’s Fundamental Law, to make homelessness unconstitutional. The amendment would make it illegal for anyone to “habitually” reside in public spaces. Fidesz MP and Viktor Orbán’s former lawyer […]

by · June 12, 2018 · Politics
The Trianon Museum's truck.

Antisemitic historian’s exhibit on display at Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre

June 4th is the day when Hungary and many Hungarians in the diaspora remember the Treaty of Trianon, signed in 1920, which led to the loss of two-thirds of historic Hungary’s population and almost three-fourths of its land. The Ottawa Hungarian Community Centre (OHCC) held its commemoration, including an exhibit, a cultural program and a meal, this past Sunday. I […]

by · June 4, 2018 · Antisemitism
Amina Jalabi presenting photography pertaining to refugees. Photo: C. Adam.

Flight to Freedom — The Canadian Refugee Experience Since 1957 (Day 1)

Ottawa’s Saint Paul University was the site of the opening day of a conference organised on the sixtieth anniversary of the arrival of the vast majority of Hungarian refugees to Canada and in the year of the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation. Mike Molloy, President of the Canadian Immigration Historical Society, opened the conference by reading the greetings from Ahmed Hussen, […]

by · October 21, 2017 · Focus
Flight to Freedom: The Canadian Refugee Experience Since 1957

Flight to Freedom: The Canadian Refugee Experience Since 1957

This three-day conference (October 21-23, 2017) explores Canada’s involvement in the central issue of our time: the global search by refugees for a safe home in light of this country’s history of immigration and nation-building. Recognizing Canada’s 150th celebrations and also the 60th anniversary of the arrival and settlement of 38,000 Hungarian refugees during 1957, this conference uses their example […]

by · October 16, 2017 · Culture
Michael Regenstreif. Source: Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.

To de-legitimize the media is to de-legitimize the institution of democracy

Michael Regenstreif is the editor of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin. In the August 21, 2017 print and online version of the Canadian publication, he writes about attempts by political leaders to de-legitimize the media in both Israel, as well as in the United States. As readers of the Hungarian Free Press know, this important institution of democracy has been under […]

by · August 23, 2017 · East
The public forum on the Salvation Army's proposed move to Vanier sparked concern among many residents. Some 500 showed up for the town hall meeting, as did the local media. Photo: C. Adam.

Civic engagement in Ottawa’s Vanier — The fate of the Salvation Army

Lest our readers begin to think that I only get involved in issues pertaining to Hungary and East/Central Europe, I wanted to share some observations from a highly charged and exceptionally well attended public forum in Ottawa’s Vanier ward on the proposed move of a Salvation Army emergency shelter and social service centre to this area of the city. The […]

by · July 11, 2017 · Focus
Judit Petényi

Ottawa’s Hungarian radio broadcast goes silent after 13 years

CHIN Radio’s weekly Hungarian-language program had its final broadcast on Sunday, June 4th, 2017. The radio show has been a staple of the multicultural radio station’s programming for more than 13 years and was among the first multilingual broadcasts after CHIN FM 97.9 received its license to operate in Ottawa in late 2001. The weekly “Hungarian hour,” initially broadcast at […]

by · June 5, 2017 · Diaspora