Second federal flight carrying Ukrainians bound for Canada lands in Montreal
Dozens of well-wishers bearing balloons and flowers packed a Montreal airport on Sunday to welcome hundreds of Ukrainians fleeing the war in their home country and poised to begin rebuilding their lives in Canada.
The second of three flights chartered by the federal government touched down shortly before 11 a.m. at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport with 306 refugees and more than 20 animals on board. The passengers approved for emergency travel to Canada touched down just seven days after the first such flight landed in Winnipeg, and days before the final plane, bound for Halifax, is scheduled to arrive on June 2.
While some newcomers emotionally rushed into the arms of their loved ones shortly after disembarking on Sunday, others made the trip from Warsaw, Poland without knowing what to expect in Montreal.
Alina Shuvalova fled her home in the Donbas region of Ukraine, a heavily bombarded hot spot through much of the three-month war with Russia.
She said she has no relative in Montreal and will be staying in a hotel with her one-year-old baby.
"It’s (a) very hard situation near my city," Shuvalova said on Sunday. "My parents call me that they hear bombing every day and I want to save my baby," she said. "I’m very thankful for this journey and that I’ve arrived here."
People wait for Ukrainian nationals fleeing the ongoing war to arrive at Trudeau Airport in Montreal, Sunday, May 29, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Yuriy Topolnytsky and his mother had been waiting for hours for their family members to arrive.
"This war took some good people," Topolnystky said. "My aunt’s son, he's been shaking because of the sirens and he's traumatized already. Even when he was waiting in Poland for the visa, he was so relieved … there was no siren."
"He’s a smart guy, he has a lot of opportunities here, maybe he'll become the next Prime Minister of Canada — who knows."
Orysia Krucko of the Ukrainian-Canadian Council, one of the Quebec Immigration Ministry's partners in supporting the Ukrainian settling in the city, said people without host families would be relocated to hotels in Montreal.
"We're happy about this second flight," Krucko said. "But we have to remember that this is a tragedy. These are people that are arriving from a country that is at war."
Ukrainian nationals fleeing the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine arrive at the Richardson International Airport, in Winnipeg, Monday, May 23, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski
According to federal government data, Canada has received just over 259,000 requests for temporary residency as of May 25, with 120,668 of those applications approved. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador also chartered a flight earlier this month that brought 166 Ukrainians to the province.
Federal Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly joined Marie-France Lalonde, parliamentary secretary to the immigration minister and Quebec Labour Minister Jean Boulet on Sunday to welcome the newcomers.
"What we are seeing is the impact of illegal and unjustifiable war," an emotional Joly said at a press conference. "These people never thought that they would have to go to the other side of the Atlantic to seek refuge."
Joly acknowledged Canada could do better when she was asked why it took almost 100 days after the war erupted to fly refugees to safety. She said Ottawa was prepared to offer financial help to newcomers starting June 2.
"These people have gone through hell … all of them are traumatized by what has happened. So we need to continue to welcome them and support them," she said.
Vlada Polishchuk was all smiles as she held a traditional cake at the airport on Sunday. Her family, however, was not among the new arrivals.
"We proposed to my family to fly them here, but everyone refused," Polishchuk said. "They all feel like it’s their home, why would they leave it?"
Polishchuk, who has lived in Montreal for the last seven years, said she even considered going back home to support her relatives.
"But I see that from here, I can be even more helpful even though there was a few stages when I felt so helpless when looking at what’s going on and you’re here in Canada, living your life, it’s two different worlds."
"But being here, it’s the community and support, that’s something that helps me hold still and make a difference."
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published on May 29, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.