Ignat Kaneff’s many-year charity activity compels admiration not only thanks to its scale, but also to its consistency, President Rosen Plevneliev said at the ceremony in the coat-of-arms hall at 2 Dondukov street, where the businessman Ignat Kaneff received the Honorary Sign of the President. The Bulgarian construction entrepreneur, who lives in Canada, makes his donations mainly to education and healthcare-related projects, which, in the President’s words, are “the greatest value and responsibility of any society and state.”
“Today I would like to highlight Ignat Kaneff’s considerable contribution in the sphere of charity and to the development of the Bulgarian society. He has been dedicated to donation activities for over 60 years and sets an example of how a true Bulgarian carries his homeland in his heart, takes care of and cherishes it, although he lives many kilometers away from it,” President Rosen Plevneliev further said. The Head of State voiced hope that a lot more wealthy Bulgarians will follow this example and will lend a hand to their compatriots.
Way back in 1976 Ignat Kaneff donated money for building a kindergarten in his native village of Gorno Albanovo, Ruse district. With his help the local church was renovated and a room in the school was equipped with computers, also a culture center was built. Ignat Kaneff also donated over one million dollars for the construction of the St. Dimitar orthodox church in Toronto.
In the 1990’s Ignat Kaneff sent educational and business literature to the Ruse University Angel Kanchev in support of the newly-established business and management faculty. In 2012 he also donated 2 million leva for building a state-of-the-art conference complex at the university, named after him – “the Kaneff center.”
In the President’s words, as Bulgaria’s honorary consul in Canada, Ignat Kaneff tries to help his compatriots in a dedicated manner and consistently and his house has always been open for them. The Head of State thanked Ivan Kaneff for the example he set of modern patriotism in the global world, for his entrepreneurship, belief in people and compassion, and wished the great donor, who will soon celebrate his 90th birthday, health and happiness.
“Throughout my whole life I have been interested in Bulgaria and the Bulgarians and have tried to help our compatriots that have settled down in Canada,” Ignat Kaneff said. He added that he has always worked to support “the Bulgarian spirit and to make sure that the Bulgarian people progresses and the success it achieves gains publicity.” “Today heads of the biggest banks and hospitals in Canada are Bulgarian electronic engineers,” the businessman said. Ignat Kaneff also emphasized that the St. Dimitar orthodox church in Toronto built with his help is not only a spiritual temple, but also a hub of the Bulgarian community in the city. “A place where we can gather and exchange opinions, particularly when we are far away from our homelands,” the businessman and donor Ignat Kaneff further said at the ceremony.