People in N.W.T. with ties to Ukraine watch with fear and sadness
CBC
Andrew Panshyn was hoping to close up shop early on Thursday afternoon so he could go home and get some rest.
The Hay River, N.W.T., pharmacist was up most of the night before, talking to family and friends in Kyiv and trying to follow the news as Russia invaded Ukraine.
"I can say that this is the worst day in my life so far," he told CBC on Thursday.
"My dad, he is in Kyiv and my wife's parents are also in Kyiv. All my friends are in Kyiv ... it's very devastating."
Panshyn himself was born and raised in the Ukraine capital and moved to Canada in 2011. He moved with his wife and mother to Hay River five years ago.
Right now, he's most worried about his elderly father. Panshyn says he's tried to bring him to Canada in the past but wasn't able to meet the requirements for sponsorship.
Now, he's been keeping in touch with his father online.
"He is not [in] very good health, I would say," Panshyn said. "And so, yeah, we tried to console him and tried to find the solution to what to do next."
He's hopeful that it may soon be possible to help his dad move to Canada. On Thursday, Canada's minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship said Ottawa was expediting immigration applications from Ukrainians attempting to escape the conflict in their country.
"I don't know how it works. I'm trying to find out, like, to get more information right now."
Raymond Pidzamecky is also watching closely what's happening in Ukraine. His father was born in Ukraine and his mother was a first-generation Canadian, also of Ukrainian descent.
"I feel profound sadness. I don't know how to describe it any other way," Pidzamecky said on Thursday afternoon.
"I just feel this enormous sadness for what's happening to our people, and especially the children, the ones who can't defend themselves, who don't understand."
Pidzamecky moved to the North about 17 years ago and works as a therapist. A lot of his work has been with residential school survivors.
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