Quebec prepares to welcome Ukrainian refugees

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) is meeting with provincial and city officials later in the day Monday to come up with a plan on what to do once refugees start arriving in Quebec.

"Nobody thought that in 2022, we'd be in this kind of situation and it's especially [dis]heartening or difficult because as you know, all men aged 18 to 60 stayed back in Ukraine to fight," said Michael Shwec, with the UCC Quebec Provincial Council. "So, the new refugees, if you want to call them that... it's all mothers and children. So, it's going to be an extremely sensitive time dealing with the arrival of these people."

The influx of Ukrainian refugees comes as Russia continues its weeks-long attack on their homeland.

Shwec says his goal in meeting with political officials is to discuss three things: how the Quebec government plans to go about helping Ukrainians immigrate to the province, preparing refugees upon arrival and helping them integrate into society.

"The first thing that we need to look at is their arrival in terms of lodging, housing, furnishings, clothing, medical and dental insurance and financial support," he explained. "Those are like really at the onset; things that we need to be thinking about... But Quebec does a really good job of welcoming people here. So we're confident that we'll be able to put together a detailed and robust plan to make it as seamless as possible, as comfortable as possible, for the new arrivals."

He adds almost 600 Montreal families have already volunteered to open their homes and take in those who have fled their country in wake of the Russian invasion.

"People that are opening their houses or they have apartments, lodging, anything that they have," he said. "Montreal has been extremely generous in what they're offering... Housing is one of the top priorities and how to vet all of those offers to make sure that the people that come here have a safe, clean place to stay."

Shwec notes he's not yet sure how many Ukrainian refugees could arrive in Quebec.