Media Release for June 6, 2008

NDP Agricultural Critic Alex Atamenenko to Speak at Renfrew NDP Annual General Meeting

The Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke New Democrats will meet in Renfrew this year for their Annual General Meeting. The guest speaker for this event is Alex Atamenenko MP for BC Southern Interior. He is the Agriculture and Agrifood and Rural Affairs critic and will be speaking on “Food Safety”. Guests are welcome. Mr. Atamenenko will speak first to allow guests who are not members of the NDP to attend this meeting and hear him speak. The AGM with election of officers for both Federal and Provincial Riding associations will follow.

This is the first stop on his nationwide tour to promote Food Safety and Sue McSheffrey, federal riding association president said“Alex is a committed environmentalist and he speaks from a broad knowledge base. We are very fortunate to get an MP who understands the issues of rural Canada and the crisis facing farmers and those who rely on the land. Alex speaks up for farmers time and time again in the House of Commons.”

The event takes place at the Royal Canadian legion, Renfrew Branch 148, 30 Raglan St. S. on Wednesday, June 18^th at 7pm.

Biography of Alex Atamanenko

• Was elected in the 2006 Federal Election in the Riding of British Columbia Southern Interior
• Is the critic for Agriculutre and Agri-Food and Rural Affairs. His critic responsibility addresses all agriculture issues as well as those that affect rural areas. He is also a member of the Agriculture Committee which is comprised of members from all parties
• Alex and his wife Ann (a primary school French teacher) currently reside in beautiful Castlegar, BC with their three cats and faithful dog Shodan
• The son of refugees from the Russian Revolution, born and raised in New Westminster
• Played Junior A Lacrosse in New Westminster and Vancouver, and football and rugby while an undergraduate
• Active in the Kootenay Regional United Nations Association
• Member of a musical group, the Balladeers, who play for seniors in the Nelson, Trail, Castlegar area
• Alex Atamanenko MP (b. January 24, 1945) is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the House of Commons in 2006, winning the riding of British Columbia Southern Interior for the New Democratic Party in the 2006 federal election. He is a retired school teacher.
• Atamanako was born in New Westminster, and was educated at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto. Atamanenko has a bachelor's degree in Physical Education degree, a teaching diploma, and a Master of Arts degree in Russian.
• Atamanenko is a member of the British Columbia Retired Teachers Association. He taught Russian, French and English at a number of schools across Canada and the United States.
• He also has experience in recreation and physical education with a number of organizations, including the Boys’ Clubs of Vancouver, the Canadian Armed Forces Base in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, and for the Coquitlam and New Westminster recreation departments, where he was part-time leader and co-ordinator, as well as for the government of the Yukon as a co-ordinator for the Canada Games (1976–1977) and a recreation consultant (1977–1979).
• Served as an interpreter during the Prime Minister's visit to the Soviet Union in 1989 and for the Canadian Navy trip to Vladivostok in 1990
• He is a karate instructor with the Castlegar Karate Club. Other community activities include involvement with the Canadian Youth Hostelling Association in Whitehorse and serving on the Coaching Council of Canada during the 1970s.
• He contested the same riding in the federal election of 2004, but was narrowly defeated by Conservative Jim Gouk

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