Pavlo and Natalie Lebedev, who are from Kharkiv, anxiously awaited, Ukrainian flag in hand, the arrival of Pavlo’s mother and sister.
The young couple emotionally received a phone call as soon as the plane landed: their loved ones wanted to tell them that they had finally arrived, and that they were safe.
Pavlo’s sister was living near kyiv when Russia invaded the country. As the region was surrounded by the Russian army for more than a month, it took him that long to manage to cross the border. Mother and daughter traveled to Poland where they waited for their visas.
Pavlo and Natalie Lebedev came to greet family members who were on board the federally chartered flight.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Karen Pauls
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Natalie’s mother, sister and niece arrived in Winnipeg a month ago. Her sister’s husband remained in Ukraine.
Pavlo and Natalie Lebedev have lost their appetites and sleep since the beginning of this war, listening to the news and anxiously awaiting news from their families and friends.
But while their newly arrived family members will be greeted by familiar faces, many other refugees come here without knowing anyone.
They will, however, be welcomed by volunteers who have often come from Ukraine themselves, and who will be able to welcome them in their own language and guide them through the various services offered to them at the welcome kiosk at the airport and at the nearby Manitoba Ukrainian Refugee Centre.
A unique model in the country
Winnipeg was selected as one of the top three cities to receive refugees arriving on a chartered flight from Canada, in large part because of how well the reception model works, says Manitoban congressional volunteer Canadian Ukrainians, Nick Krawetz.
It is a unique model in Canada, so we are quite ready to welcome them, he explains. We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about charter flights on April 9.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson was at the Winnipeg airport on Monday to greet Ukrainian refugees.
Photo : Radio-Canada
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Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, who wanted to welcome the refugees from this first charter flight in the country, recalled that the provincial task force has worked hard to ensure that all services are available for these families in Manitoba
.
We will continue to work so that these refugees have the support they need.
she said.
Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland arrived at Winnipeg’s James Richardson International Airport earlier Monday afternoon.
Chrystia Freeland acknowledged that welcoming refugees poses challenges, but she does not rule out the possibility that the federal government will organize more charter flights.
Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland arrived at the Winnipeg airport shortly before the charter flight. She is seen here offering a stuffed animal to a child who has just entered Canada.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Karen Pauls
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She greeted the many volunteers on site dressed in the colors of Ukraine.
A prepared welcome
Upon disembarkation, the nationals will be divided into groups of 30 by representatives of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), accompanied by 16 Manitoba volunteers from the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.
There will be 24 other volunteers spread around the airport.
The Winnipeg Airport Authority (AAW) has been wonderful with us in terms of communication and logistics
says volunteer Darya Omilchenko.
We are many among the volunteers with family in Ukraine, so all this is very important for us
she continues.
« On the one hand, I am happy that we are here to help Ukrainians, but I am also sad because they were forced to leave their country. »
Once the first stage of reception is complete, each group of 30 people will leave the international arrivals section to walk to buses that will take them directly to the Manitoba reception center for Ukrainian refugees.
This is where families will be reunited, if need be.
Manitoba Ukrainian Canadian Congress volunteer Nick Krawetz helps with the logistics of welcoming Ukrainian refugees to Manitoba.
Photo : Radio-Canada / Trevor Brine
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« They will have immediate access to a host of support services, courtesy of the province’s Ukrainian community as well as the Manitoba government. »
The housing challenge
These 350 refugees are added to the 400 already present on the territory since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February.
Some of the newcomers are expected by friends and family members, while others have no network in Manitoba. To this end, the province has established a partnership with the organization New Journey Housingwhich will, among other things, attempt to provide apartments in Winnipeg to Ukrainian nationals.
The provincial government previously announced $800,000 in direct humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees since the start of the war.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, nearly six million Ukrainians have fled their country since the start of the Russian invasion.
Two other planes will land in Canada shortly, the first in Montreal on May 29 and the second in Halifax on June 2.
With information from Laïssa Pamou and Karen Pauls
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