Scott Radley: Hamilton philanthropist brings the helpful and willing to Ukraine’s battlefields

In one way or another, he's been around Canada's military for nearly five decades. So when war broke out in Ukraine and president Volodymyr Zelenskyy put out a call for foreign fighters, he had a pretty good idea what was going to happen.

A bunch of people - including Canadians - would want to lend a hand. Even though some had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

One of my fears that I didn't want to happen is simply, guys show up at the border in jeans and a T-shirt and say, Hey give me a gun, I want to go kill Russians,'" Chris Ecklund says.

That's a bit of an exaggeration, right?

Sadly enough, that has happened."

So the Hamilton businessperson set up a website called Fight For Ukraine (fightforukraine.ca). Not to lure people to the battlefield. This is not a recruiting tool. Rather, to provide information and hopefully separate the would-be volunteers who might bring some useful skills from the guys who want to play Johnny Rambo."

For those determined to go, a checklist of what needs to be looked after will be offered. Have you been checked by your doctor and dentist? Do you have a will? A power of attorney? Do you have the proper equipment since you probably won't get much over there. Most importantly, are you sure you want to do this?

This is not a video game," he says. This is not a mark on your manhood if you don't go over."

It shouldn't be surprising that Ecklund has jumped in here.

The 59-year-old Westmount Secondary grad - who's made his money through his process-serving company that delivers summons, subpoenas and court documents - has run public Easter egg hunts in town with as many as a quarter-million eggs up for grabs. He's donated trees, he's bought and donated hundreds of Tiger-Cats tickets to needy kids and he's found a house for a family that lost theirs in a fire. He's created websites to promote various local attractions and donated a motor coach for use by the Ticats. Among numerous other things.

His interest in veterans has given him an even bigger platform. He's sponsored Kosovar refugees, repatriated remains of soldiers from the War of 1812, and has an ongoing program to bring to Canada Afghans who helped our military. The Canadian Heroes Foundation he founded helps plant Canadian flags on soldiers' graves overseas on Remembrance Day, returns lost service medals to the families of fallen soldiers and does other things to honour our servicepeople, including supporting the Highway of Heroes.

I've run into some widows of Afghan veterans and mothers of Afghan veterans who were killed in action," says former MP David Sweet. They had great things to say about him and the support he gave them apparently was remarkable."

Yet to most, he's probably best known as the guy who turned Hamilton into the City of Waterfalls. Over a decade ago, he decked out a fleet of vehicles and a motorhome in waterfall ads to push the concept. His pitch quickly became one of the calling cards of this town.

It's led some to wonder why he does this stuff. What's his motivation?

It's not for attention, he insists. He points out that a few years ago he withdrew his name for consideration for this city's citizen of the year award because he insisted he didn't belong with the other nominees. He says he's turned down every honour he's been offered. It took several requests to get him to talk for this piece.

At the core of what he wants to do, he wants to contribute," says former mayor Larry Di Ianni. And he has contributed. I have seen evidence of that."

Is he hoping to run for mayor? That idea has been suggested before. He laughs at the idea and instantly dismisses it.

That all makes him an enigma to some. Sweet calls him a bit of a mystery. Di Ianni says Ecklund is a man of conviction and a proud Hamiltonian but some people don't get him because he sometimes looks at things differently.

There are philanthropists who give money to good causes but don't say much. They certainly don't publicly step into the fray. Ecklund, on the other hand, hasn't shied away from speaking his mind on local issues. Over the years he's occasionally had some strong words for those who run the city. Still does.

Back in December, he even issued a defamation notice against Mayor Fred Eisenberger.

Ecklund simply chalks up any skepticism to some people's suspicion of anyone who spends a significant amount of their own money on charity. The dark side of philanthropy, he calls it.

Nowadays when you try to do anything, there's too many people that just come after you right away saying, Why are you doing this?'" he says.

Since he mentioned money, how much has he spent over the years? He says he's not interested in talking about it.

The money doesn't mean anything," he says. It doesn't make me any better or less than anybody else that contributes $100."

So back to the question. What is it that drives all his actions?

Maybe it comes from joining the air cadets on his 11th birthday, spending three years working logistics and driving a truck in the army, and being involved with the Royal Canadian Air Force Association for 25 years. He uses the words honour," morals," ethics" and values" a couple of times during the conversation. Says that's what he lives by. He also talks about duty.

I'm a person that is capable and able to do my little tiny part like so many other people around the world are," he says. Just to make a sliver of a difference."

Which is where this Fight For Ukraine website comes in. Many people interested in heading over there to join the fray have no idea what they're doing, he explains. They might be more useful avoiding combat altogether and working behind the scenes to aid with the humanitarian crisis in neighbouring countries. Especially now that Ukraine has said it only wants foreign fighters with military experience. This website might help that.

In the three-plus weeks it's been up, roughly 300 applicants from around the world have connected with it, he says. Plenty had done little or no previous research and weren't ready to go over there.

Going over based on emotion will probably make you a burden on someone else. That doesn't help anyone.

When you're fighting a war ... you have to take care of everything," he says.

It's not just the website that's drawn national attention lately. Ecklund's organization helped get a Canadian volunteer soldier out of Ukraine the other day after the military base at which he was stationed was hit with a missile. The young man suffered what were described as superficial injuries.

And that might not be Ecklund's last project connected to this conflict.

There's a chance some Canadians might be killed over there and have to be repatriated. He's already put plans in place to hopefully bring them home. As he's done before for soldiers who died fighting ISIS.

If I think I can make a difference, then I'll get involved."

Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com