THUNDER BAY — Thunder Bay residents are already stepping forward and offering to host displaced people from war-ravaged Ukraine.
The local branch of the League of Canadian Ukrainians posted a request for help on its Facebook page.
Branch President Walter Warywoda said Tuesday afternoon that within the first 24 hours, close to 20 individuals had already responded by filling out an online form.
He described it as just the initial step of the intake process for any Ukrainian families or individuals looking to find a new home in Thunder Bay.
"If we can kind of be the nimble operators in an often-bureaucratic world, I envision soliciting Thunder Bay employers somewhere down the road...and additionally, sponsorships through churches, service clubs or individuals, whether it's for a plane ticket or whatever the case may be," Warywoda said.
Ideally, he said, all these requirements can be packaged together, simultaneously with Canada fast-tracking the immigration process.
It's a process that's normally lengthy and red-tape-heavy, but Warywoda says the government is working with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress and others to recognize Ukrainians as war refugees and to expedite the handling of applications.
Locally, he said he hopes to work with the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association to facilitate arrangements in the city.
In Poland – where hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled – Warywoda is also dealing with helpful contacts in Warsaw.
"We can effectively get a pipeline flowing directly to Thunder Bay... It's a work in progress. We're still waiting for the government to catch up and get the systems in place," he said.
Warywoda added "If we can get our end done here...and boots on the ground in Warsaw, we can help some people. We can't help everyone obviously, but we'll have accomplished something."
He said he's pleased by the support provided Monday night by a resolution of city council, calling it a necessary first step for Thunder Bay to be recognized by the federal government as a destination community for Ukrainians.
Thunder Bay Multicultural Association executive director Cathy Woodbeck agreed that "it's always helpful to have the support of the community and city council in resettlement and refugee work."
She said "if the immigration department knows that we're all working together, we're all going to be ready if people arrive, it's always a good thing."
Woodbeck said a number of individuals in Thunder Bay are already prepared to provide housing.
"We have a good group of landlords and others that we work with all the time for all refugees arriving in the city. So I think there is availability. We wouldn't have to rely on the District Social Services Administration Board, if we needed to at all."
Since the Ukrainian crisis began, many people have come forward to volunteer to help with accommodation needs, Woodbeck said.
"There's a lot of good will in the city," she said, adding however that she's not expecting a large number of Ukrainians to come here in the immediate future.
"People are waiting to see what's going to happen in their own country, if they can go back. It's going to take awhile before people make the big decision to come this far."
Warywoda said he doesn't have a good sense yet about what the uptake might be, but he expects many Ukrainians will welcome the chance to come to Canada.
"With its freedoms and opportunities, this is a real win-win for the people at risk right now, and for Canada to re-introduce European immigration in a more streamlined approach, and to reinvigorate our employment needs, and so on."
