Unclear how many Ukrainians have arrived in Montreal, but support isn’t in doubt

Article content

At the end of the month, a West Island couple’s home will gain 10 residents.

Article content

There was no hesitation when Tatiana and Daniel Romano — who live in Dollard-des-Ormeaux — were asked by their sister-in-law if they would be willing to host two Ukrainian families displaced amid the ongoing Russian invasion.

“It’s a human thing to do,” Tatiana said. “That’s it. That’s what you do for another human who is in such circumstances.”

In an effort to make the families’ stay more comfortable, Tatiana and Daniel have been renovating the bathrooms in their home, which weren’t equipped to be used by 12 people. Their community has also rallied around the effort — in addition to donating money and clothing for the families, neighbors have been donating appliances, installing them, and even planning to establish a cooking circle to prepare meals for the large group every night.

Article content

The families who will be staying with the Romanos are among the more than 46,000 Ukrainians who have been approved to come to Canada under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel so far, out of around 141,000 who have applied. Soon, they’ll be joining the more than 12,000 Ukrainians who have arrived in Canada by air since the beginning of the year.

Ukrainians arriving at Montreal’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport will be able to follow a trail of sunflower stickers on the floor to a kiosk — staffed by Quebec’s Immigration Ministry and partner organization Center social d’aide aux immigrants — where they’ll be given instructions on how to get a RAMQ card and work permit, and how to register for schools and French courses, among other things.

Article content

In the coming days, the kiosk will be equipped with welcome kits from the city of Montreal available in French, Ukrainian and Russian, including tickets for public transit and information about essential services.

Those who need it will be taken to emergency accommodation at a hotel.

“The goal is to ensure their well-being,” said Émilie Vézina, a spokesperson for the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration.

Hotel accommodation is a measure to allow partner organizations to help arriving Ukrainians find more permanent housing solutions if they aren’t going to be hosted by family members, Vézina added.

Michael Shwec, the president of the Quebec provincial council of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, said with the province’s hotel offer and the hundreds of Quebecers who have signed up to host Ukrainians via UCCMontreal.ca, accommodation is well taken care of for the short and medium term. Once the Bureau d’intégration des nouveaux arrivants à Montréal vets those offering to host Ukrainians they have no connection with, Shwec said, they will be matched together.

Article content

“Let’s say this mother, who has nobody here, has gone to a hotel,” he said. “Well, now (the city) is going to try and match that person with somebody in this data bank that we have of vetted people. So, this mom has a 14-year-old girl? Well, they’re going to kind of try and match it: are there any volunteers here that have 14-year-old children … or around that age group?”

The timeline of the vetting process is unclear, as is the exact number of Ukrainians who have arrived in Montreal to date. For varying reasons, the federal, provincial and municipal governments couldn’t say — but Quebec’s Immigration Ministry said 101 families were welcomed at the airport kiosk between April 1 and 10, including 124 adults and 60 children.

Article content

“Ukrainian migrant families who have arrived in Montreal have all received adequate reception and support services, and will continue to do so,” Camille Bégin, a spokesperson for the city, said in an email. “Our plan for exceptional migration events is in response mode and all partners are providing a co-ordinated response to needs.”

Shwec’s hope is that the recent federal announcement about bringing Ukrainians to Canada using chartered flights will mean the UCC can greet them at the airport and introduce them to Quebec’s Ukrainian community. So far it’s been difficult to know who is arriving and when, if those people haven’t been in contact with the organization or with hosts signed up through its website.

Article content

“The way people are getting here, it’s kind of like they’re on their own,” Shwec said. “You’ve got four million people that left — two million mothers, two million children — and they’re expected to go anywhere in the world kind of on their own. So if you’re looking at Canada, people are making all kinds of connections through social media, through friends.

“So, there’s people coming in that we don’t have any clue that they’re coming, because the government who issues the visas, they’re not going to tell us — that’s very private.”

Shwec is encouraging people to visit the UCC website — which is being built as the hub of information about the community for Montreal — so the organization can offer support.

“I think that what’s important for these mothers and children as they arrive is that they’re welcomed and they’re supported,” he said.

Article content

For the Romanos, it was their sister-in-law — who will be hosting her own family members who left Odesa — who asked if the couple would be willing to house people the family connected with during a 29-hour wait at the border into Moldova.

“My sister-in-law instantly thought about me, because I do have a large house and we have spare bedrooms,” Tatiana said.

Both women then began helping the family of six with the application process.

“By the end of it, we all became so good that people started reaching out to us for other help,” Tatiana said.

Helping another family of four with their applications turned into agreeing to welcome them into her home as well.

“We already made the commitment to acquire six people—what does it matter if we had four more?” Tatiana said. “And so it grew to 10.”

Article content

On top of simply feeling like offering space in her home was the right thing to do, Tatiana explained she has a personal attachment to Ukraine, where her father was born.

“I felt compelled to repay the karmic debt of my ancestors — to offer them refuge when I can,” she said.

“Every time I speak to people, I say I’m lucky to be in the position to offer shelter, to welcome people, to provide them basic food. I feel that I have the privilege, and I have the duty to help those who are less fortunate.”

[email protected]

twitter.com/katelynthomas