Ukrainians getting help at ‘one-stop shop’ in Regina

For three days this week, the Research and Innovation Centre at the University of Regina is filling up with Ukrainians newly displaced from their home.

The Saskatchewan government has brought all kinds of public and private organizations together in one spot to offer easy access for displaced Ukrainians to get what they need to navigate life in the province.

The provincial government is calling it a “one-stop shop.”

“We’re here, we’re happy to help (and) we want to help in any way that we can,” said Chantelle Patrick, one of the directors of the Saskatchewan Ukraine response team for the provincial government.

The services being offered Wednesday, Thursday and Friday include help getting health cards and driver’s licences, and  finding churches, schools and information on English lessons.

“We just want to make sure that every single person who came here on the flight has those services available to them,” said Patrick.

A plane with 230 Ukrainian citizens on board landed at the Regina airport Monday.

On Thursday, Nataliia and Ihor Osoba were there looking to open a bank account and find somewhere to live.

Speaking through a translator, Iryna Kavetska, the Osobas explained how they came to be in Saskatchewan from Ukraine. They explained that Ihor had been out of the country when the war started and Nataliia was there with their kids.

“Firstly they moved to the village because they thought that’s the safe place … and then they decided to move to Poland with the husband because that was very scary — the bombs, all the time,” the translator said for the Osobas.

The family wanted to have a life like they did before, so they got on Monday’s flight from Warsaw, Poland to Regina.

The couple was incredibly grateful to be in the province.

“(Nataliia) remembers (when she stepped on) the plane in Warsaw, she thought, ‘I think everything will be OK. Everything will be OK,’ ” the translator said.

They did some research before deciding where to go and found that Saskatchewan has a large Ukrainian community and good support, and that made the decision for them.

The Osobas called Regina “unbelievable.”

“The people, they’re open and ready to help –like everyone. And everybody’s smiling,” the translator said on behalf of the Osobas.

Speaking near the tables and supports offered at the event in the university, the Osobas said they appreciated all the support that was being offered.

“(Seeing all this) they know everything will be OK. They’ll find a job, they’ll find a house, their children (will) go to school, so they’re very, very confident with that and they really appreciate with their whole heart,” the translator said for the Osobas.

All kinds of businesses and organizations are gathering at the University of Regina this week to provide a “one-stop shop” for displaced Ukrainians to get what they need to settle into life in Saskatchewan. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

The event is a very good idea, according to Oksana Klepikova. She was volunteering there as a translator for the Ukrainians but has only been in Saskatchewan since April herself.

“We had never planned to leave our country; we only arrived in Canada because of the Ukrainian war,” explained Klepikova.

The journey here was difficult for Klepikova and her two children.

All the embassies were closed at the time and they had to travel to Romania and wait there for a visa. The family came to Saskatchewan, sponsored by her cousin who immigrated to Canada 24 years ago from Ukraine.

The transition has been difficult for Klepikova as well. She had a PhD and good jobs at universities in Odessa but hasn’t been able to find a job here in three months.

“I have maybe only one interview for this period of time. It’s so difficult to find a job for me,” Klepikova explained.

Speaking of the Ukrainians who just arrived, Klepikova said some can be emotional, not knowing what to do. When she arrived, Klepikova said she didn’t know what to do either.

“It’s so difficult,” she said. “I called some authorities and I didn’t understand what I should do.”

So she said she knew how these newcomers were feeling. She’d been helping them fill out forms and helping them get answers to their questions.