'It was very, very kind': Ukrainian refugees praise reception, ponder future in Saskatchewan

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 7:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Alina Shylan came to Canada from Ukraine arsenic a authorities sponsored exile successful July 2022. Before the warfare began, she worked successful Kiev arsenic a advisor astatine a vigor station. 

Shylan said the archetypal happening she remembers from her accomplishment is however good welcoming Regina's assemblage was from the infinitesimal she landed astatine the airport. 

"People were precise lukewarm and welcome," she said. "We felt like we are like in a tiny family in Canada. So it was very, precise kind."

She praised the enactment she and different refugees received erstwhile they archetypal arrived. She was rapidly capable to unfastened a slope account, person a societal information fig and registry for English connection courses.

Shylan present works successful a casual presumption with the City of Regina, but said she is seeking ways to go a imperishable resident.

"Of people Ukrainians privation to spell back," she said. "But the warfare volition not stop. And adjacent if stopped today, successful 5 years it tin proceed erstwhile Putin is recharged."

On Tuesday, American officials announced that Ukraine had accepted a 30-day ceasefire woody during negotiations successful Saudi Arabia. They are present awaiting a Russian effect to the proposal.

In the meantime, galore Ukrainian refugees successful Saskatchewan are waiting to spot however they tin enactment successful the province. 

On Feb. 18, the Saskatchewan authorities paused the intake of caller occupation approvals for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SNIP). The programme is utilized by galore immigrants and refugees, including Ukrainians, to find full-time enactment and physique a way toward permanent residency.

In a statement, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Immigration and Career grooming said the intermission was a effect of the national authorities cutting provincial nominee programme allocations by 50 per cent. 

On Feb. 27, the national authorities announced it was extending visas to Mar. 31, 2026, for Ukrainians successful the state nether the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel visa. The determination gave Ukrainian refugees different twelvemonth to use for oregon renew enactment and survey permits.

Drew Wilby, Saskatchewan's lawman curate of migration and vocation training, said the national authorities should unfastened up much pathways for Ukrainian refugees to travel to the province.

He said astir 8,000 Ukrainians person travel to Saskatchewan since the warfare began. Of those, much than 600 of them person gained imperishable residency, 550 of them done the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program. 

"We'll proceed to bash that and prioritize those folks that bash use into that SINP programme erstwhile we've released the flimsy intermission that we're undergoing close present to accommodate the national changes to our provincial programs," helium said. 

A heavy good of support

Much of the enactment that refugees similar Shylan received erstwhile they archetypal arrived were the enactment of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which has provided a suite of accommodations for Ukrainian newcomers since the warfare began. 

Elena Krueger became president of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatchewan conscionable 2 weeks earlier the Russian invasion, and helped signifier a pivot from primarily promoting taste programming for Ukrainian Canadians to marshalling volunteers to supply resources to waves of refugees. 

"Things conscionable truly exploded," she said. "Suddenly we were gathering each the time. How tin we assistance people? What's our adjacent step? How volition we signifier opportunities for radical to find shelter?"

Krueger credits Saskatchewan's ample Ukrainian assemblage arsenic the backbone of the effort. According to the 2021 Canadian census, astir 140,000 radical successful Saskatchewan assertion Ukrainian ancestry.

"There's that household feeling, that transportation to community, that lukewarm welcome," she said.

"People consciousness that they belong, that they matter, and that there's existent enactment for 1 another."