With Ukrainian citizens on their way, Sask. resettlement organizations say they need more support
CBC
With Ukrainians expected to arrive in Canada in the coming weeks, Saskatchewan refugee and resettlement organizations are already preparing.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday during a news conference in Warsaw, Poland, that Canada would be allocating $117 million to expedite immigration applications from Ukrainians displaced by the ongoing Russian invasion.
It remains unclear how many will make their way to Saskatchewan. A news release from the fegeral government said that since Jan. 1, more than 6,100 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada.
"People are already on their way here, some of them arriving this weekend in Regina," Danylo Puderak, executive director at the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatchewan (UCC), said.
"These Ukrainians are traveling independently through the support of community members, family members and friends that are in Canada already. They arranged their own flights to come here. But there will be large numbers coming in eventually."
Puderak said co-ordination efforts with resettlement organizations are underway so that the newcomers have access to language classes and mental health services.
Though there has been an outpouring of support from the community, Puderak said volunteer groups are still looking for donations of items for the displaced people.
The Saskatchewan Party government has also set aside $335,000 in settlement support for Ukrainian families who have fled their country and will work with the UCC to help support them.
Ali Abukar, CEO of Saskatoon Open Door Society, said community organizations need more resources to be better prepared to support the newcomers.
"The present provincial funding is a drop in the bucket. If you're saying that we will welcome an unlimited number of citizens from Ukraine, $335,000 is going to be anything but close to enough," Abukar said.
Ukrainian citizens will be arriving as temporary residents, not as refugees.
"There's a big gap in the funding and resources allocated to temporary residents, so there is going to be a stretch but we're hoping that the government is going to come forward and put some resources in place," Abukar said.
"We're suspecting there's going to be a gap in service in responding to the immediate needs of those coming here."
Saskatchewan has one of the largest Ukrainian populations in Canada, with 13 per cent of residents identifying as having Ukrainian heritage.
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