Montrealers prep to welcome Ukrainians
Posted March 30, 2022 9:39 am.
Last Updated March 30, 2022 6:18 pm.
The beds are made, necessities are lined up, and the door to her home is open. Montrealer Nataliya Vinitska is ready to welcome her family fleeing Ukraine.
Giving her cousins and their children a place to stay as the men stay behind and fight. She’s unsure of when they’ll make it to Canada, but she’s preparing and hopes they’ll make her home theirs, soon.
“They did not want to leave Ukraine. They wanted to stay behind, but until the moment that the husbands got mobilized to, you know, to join the Ukrainian forces and then to spare the kids from the atrocities, it took them a bit of time. But eventually, they took my advice,” said Vinitska.
Through Vinitska’s advice and help, her family was able to cross safely into Poland, with the assistance of her former colleagues there.
Vinitska came to Montreal at the end of the 90s, leaving Ternopil in the West of Ukraine close to Lviv. She says she was welcomed and supported by the Montreal community and now wants to give that same warm welcome to anyone fleeing Ukraine.
“Today, I believe it’s my duty. It would actually be my honour to help not only my relatives but whoever decides and needs help. We will work hard to get that help and support for them.”
Vinitska has prepared her home, and the city of Montreal has prepared themselves too, explaining that every wave of immigration is unique.
“We have a plan, we have the experience, we have the agility also. We have handled all the Syrian refugees. We welcome them. And we also handle the influx of asylum seekers in the summer of 2017. The Afghan refugees last the last fall. And since December we are really active with the asylum seekers that’s coming by the American border,” explained Marie-Christine Ladouceur-Girard, director of the Montreal Newcomer Office (Bureau d’intégration des nouveaux arrivants à Montréal).
The city is working with the Quebec government and local organizations to help Ukrainians integrate, like making temporary housing sites available to the government of Québec, and issuing city ID and residence cards to Ukrainian migrants.
“We propose innovative solutions, for example, we have an I.D. card that is very, very important for newcomers. It helps them. It helps to have access to municipal services, to have I.D. for services in the city,” added Ladouceur-Girard.
As for Vinitska’s family, she says all they want is to return to Ukraine. But she looks forward to their arrival – giving them a home away from home for the time being.
“I am confident in our community, in our country to do what they do best is to welcome refugees and help people have a better life here.”
