Massive influx has Calgary charity seeking one-month homes for Ukrainian refugees
Massive influx has Calgary charity seeking one-month homes for Ukrainian refugees
Trying to find housing for all Ukrainian evacuees coming to Canada is becoming a problem.
More than 130,000 Ukrainians have arrived in the country through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.
This allows Ukrainians and their immediate family members to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years.
They are also eligible for an open work permit or study permit to help in their transition.
And because of the housing shortage, the Centre for Newcomers launched a campaign aimed at finding individuals or families to host Ukrainian evacuees on Wednesday morning.
"We're in a desperate, dire need at the moment for host homes to try to accommodate the evacuees coming from Ukraine," said Kelly Ernst, chief program officer for the Centre for Newcomers.
"So it's reaching the proportions of being a crisis moment."
Ernst says the shortage is caused by many people moving to Calgary because of lower rental rates compared to other big cities like Vancouver and Toronto.
The organization says all it takes is for the host to provide accommodation to Ukrainian evacuees for one month and it will help with paperwork, settlement assistance and job-search efforts.
The Ukrainian evacuees will pay for utilities.
"People who come here, they need one month of stay. It's an average time when family can find the long-term rent, job and settle down here in Calgary," said Nataliia Shen, housing co-ordinator for vulnerable populations for the Centre for Newcomers.
"That's why we really need this."
STARTING ANEW
Dmytro Syrman and his family arrived in Calgary last March 19, after fleeing their hometown of Dniprorudne in Ukraine.
Syrman says when the Russian army occupied their city and it looked like they weren't leaving, he started to plan their escape.
They arrived in Canada through CUAET and are currently staying with their host family.
"We found a wonderful family and we're in here and starting a new life," Syrman said.
"We can't believe people who don't know us can help, and many helped us."
Syrman says they still have family members back in Ukraine and they connect with them over the internet.
HOSTING EVACUEES
Jeff Vosburgh and his family opened their doors for the Syrman family last week.
He said the decision came from their desire to help and give people a chance to build a life in Canada.
"I looked at our family, and I knew we could help," Vosburgh said.
The Vosburgh family says although there is a little language barrier, the experience has been good and the culture is not that different.
"I feel like it was a very good decision that we did this because, I mean, just the fact that we're helping, it changes their life," said Jenson Vosburgh.
"And I think it's probably one of the best things we've ever done."
The Centre for Newcomers is hoping to get up to 400 hosts for Ukrainian evacuees.
Canada's special rapporteur on foreign interference David Johnston is being questioned by MPs at committee about his role, his report into election meddling, his decision against a public inquiry, and allegations of a conflict of interest.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should see to it that mass murderers serve their entire sentences in maximum-security prison.
The number of interactions between killer whales and humans has increased alarmingly in recent years. CTVNews.ca asked an expert to explain the reasons behind the increase in interactions, explore the types of encounters, and examine the implications for both humans and killer whales.
The PGA Tour ended its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia's golf venture and now is joining forces with it, making a stunning announcement Tuesday of a merger that creates a commercial operation with the Public Investment Fund and the European tour.
An internal document suggests Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants China kept out of a Pacific Rim trade bloc, despite the Liberals publicly insisting it would welcome anyone who meets the trade deal's standards.
Prince Harry entered a courtroom witness box Tuesday, swearing to tell the truth in testimony against a tabloid publisher he accuses of phone hacking and other unlawful snooping.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of a woman who used to live in Surrey, BC, after her body was found in her apartment on the outskirts of Sydney.
Police in Australia are investigating the suspicious death of a woman who used to live in Surrey, BC, after her body was found in her apartment on the outskirts of Sydney.
Mounties in the town of McLennan, Alta. are hoping members of the public can help them identify two men who tried to steal a bank machine from the local ATB Financial.
Mounties in Peace River Alta. are asking residents to check their "businesses, homes, sheds and outbuildings" for any sign of 13-year-old Rocky Conrad Cardinal.
The provincial wildfire service is warning British Columbians to have a go-bag and make an evacuation plan with this year's wildfire season off to an alarming start.
Many Canadian parents are stretching themselves thin — even going as far as to postpone their retirement in some cases — in order to help pay for their children’s education, according to a new survey.
Real estate experts say B.C.’s housing market is heating back after cooling off due to rising interest rates but the future is uncertain as several economists expect the Bank of Canada to hike rates again.
Hammonds Plains Road reopened to traffic early Tuesday morning more than week after wildfires began in the Halifax area. Officials say the fires in the area are contained, though crews continue to deal with hot spots and flare ups.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
The province is revealing its housing cards, as 37 more municipalities have been identified as the next group that will be required to create housing targets in their communities to help combat the ongoing housing shortfall.
A wildfire that has been burning out of control on Vancouver Island since Sunday morning is now estimated to cover approximately 20 hectares of dense forest near Port Alberni.
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can't believe the force told her it won't hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was 'not serious.'
A 53-year-old man was shot and killed in the Montreal suburb of Dorval on Monday afternoon. A source told CTV News that the victim is Francesco Del Balso, who has links to Montreal's Mafia.
One Quebec city that had been threatened by approaching wildfires has lifted an evacuation order, but other parts of the province continue to deal with out-of-control blazes that are taxing firefighting resources.
A special air quality statement remains in effect for the National Capital Region because of wildfire smoke blowing across the region. Environment Canada's air quality health index is at its highest level of risk.
The wildfire burning at Centennial Lake, about 150 km west of Ottawa is still not under control, but the local mayor says it has been significantly reduced.
The federal government has given an updated deal to a public-service union that signed its collective agreement in the fall in order to match deals reached with the Public Service Alliance of Canada during a strike this spring.
While Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) publicly mulled moving its downtown emergency shelter to a location on 20th Street near the city's core, city documents reveal the wellness centre's present Fairhaven area location was heavily favoured early in the process.
Canada's emergency preparedness minister says images of wildfires burning across the country are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada and the current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity.
While firefighters get more forest fires under control in northern Ontario, travel restrictions declared under an emergency order are being expanded in several communities.
A 13-year-old male from Elliot Lake in northern Ontario has been charged with sexual assault again, bringing the total to 10, after another survivor came forward.
A grieving widow whose husband was run over and killed by a speeding OPP officer can't believe the force told her it won't hold a public hearing into the case because it decided the misconduct was 'not serious.'
A Ukrainian woman who now lives in Winnipeg is hoping one day she will be able to bring her husband's remains to her new home, a place he hoped one day he too would be able to call home.
It’s been 79 years since the war effort known as ‘D-Day,’ which eventually led to the liberation of western Europe during World War II. The day was marked with a service in Normandy with the Royal Regina Rifles on hand.
