A conference center in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley could soon be housing dozens of Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing their country for safety after Russia invaded it last month.
The Annapolis Basin Conference Center (APCC) in Cornwallis Park, NS, has just over 180 rooms, as well as other facilities like barracks and a theater.
Beth Earle, the CEO of the APCC, says the not-for-profit is in the midst of discussions with the provincial and federal governments about bringing in at least 50 people from Ukraine.
Today, the center provides temporary housing to newcomers. It has also helped with self-isolation services for temporary foreign workers in the past.
“We do have experience in working with folks from other countries,” said Earle. “So, we wanted to reach out and see what we could do to support Ukrainian refugees.”
Although nothing has been confirmed yet, Earle hopes to start welcoming Ukrainian refugees to the center in a few weeks.
“We’ve already had people reaching out to us saying, ‘I want to help out. I want to see what I can do.’ So, I do hope that we can support Ukrainian refugees in this manner,” she said.
Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says the province plans to take advantage of the generous offerings of support, like the one from APCC.
“So, we’ll reach out to the various organizations, including Annapolis, that have made generous offers to help and be working with them to not only take advantage of their kindness, but to make sure we maximize the potential benefit by getting people to the communities… where these kind of services are being made available,” said Fraser, who is also the MP for the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova.
According to the United Nations, more than two million refugees have fled Ukraine since the conflict began last month.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he’s considering a Canadian airlift of Ukrainian refugees who may want to find a safe haven in Canada, but hasn’t said when that might happen.
G7 leaders issued a joint statement Friday backing Ukraine, calling for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops and promising further sanctions and economic policies targeting Russia’s economy.