Two planeloads of displaced Ukrainians expected in Regina on Wednesday

Another 200 or so Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion in their home country is to arrive in Saskatchewan on Wednesday night, but the way it’s being done is a little bit different than when the first plane landed in Regina in early July.

Ukrainian Canadian Congress Saskatchewan Executive Director Danylo Puderak said the charter flight from Poland will actually land in Edmonton first and the Ukrainians will board a couple of smaller planes bound for Regina.

“The original 787 that the first flight came on proved to be a challenge for our smaller airports here in Saskatchewan as we’re not used to having a plane that size landing here,” he said.

Puderak said the Ukrainian Canadian Congress’ (UCC) role is to help with settlement plans, in co-operation with the provincial government. The organization helps to plan the flights and to make connections with the community.

“We are part of a much bigger team that includes various departments or ministries — for example, eHealth or Social Services and Sask. Housing. Everybody’s working together so that people who have arrived are able to immediately access those services, get registered, get their health cards (and) apply for any funding that’s available,” he explained.

UCC staff also provide translation services and help to identify skill sets and backgrounds so that newcomers can connect with employers across the province looking to hire people.

“There are so many questions they have: New country, new society, many unfamiliar things,” he added.

Puderak said there are also things we take for granted here that their staff helps with, like setting up a bank account.

“These one-stop shops that are co-ordinated to help them access services right off, there will be a few of the banking institutions there,” he said.

“We’re familiar with RBC or Scotiabank or Bank of Montreal, but people from Ukraine have no idea who these institutions are. And so … their first question is, ‘What’s the difference? Can you tell us a little bit about them?’ ”

The UCC then provides them with advice and support to help them make their decisions.

Once people are settled in a new home, the UCC provides continued support, connecting them to an existing, large Ukrainian community in Saskatchewan.

“There’s about 160,000 Saskatchewanians that claim a connection to their Ukrainian identity and many of them are active in the community. So there’s a support network. That network is there to help them,” he added.

While it all can be stressful at times for Puderak and his staff, he said it’s important to have some perspective about it all. Displaced Ukrainians coming to Canada have come from a very difficult situation.

They’re often women and children or elderly people and they’re feeling quite vulnerable; they don’t know what’s going to happen in the near or longer-term future.

“The reality is that I have a home to go to,” said Puderak. “Nobody’s bombing my city. My family members are safe. These are people that are in the worst situation possible where they’re experiencing the brutality of war. They don’t have a home to go back to. We help in every way that we can.”