OLDS — About 35 Ukrainian people fleeing the Russian invasion of their country are currently living in Olds and area.
Slowly but surely, they’re adapting to life in Canada, but they still need lots of help, according to Audrey Gross.
She chairs the Olds subcommittee of the Red Deer-based Ukrainian Displaced Persons Planning Committee (UDPPC) and is also hosting a family.
The UDPPC estimates that about 500 Ukrainians fleeing the war have settled in Central Alberta.
Gross says there are many issues confronting Ukrainians arriving in the community.
Three of the biggest ones are obtaining affordable housing, learning English and getting jobs.
Gross said learning English is linked to the ability to obtain a job, but another issue there is that credentials and experience obtained in Ukraine aren’t always seen as relevant in Canada.
As a result, many Ukrainian adults here are having great difficulty obtaining employment and if they do, those jobs tend not to be in their field of expertise. Some end up working in very low-paying jobs.
One who has since moved to Red Deer, is an opera singer.
“I know the fellow that’s staying with me has probably had at least 50 refusals,” Gross said during an interview.
She said while based in Ukraine, he travelled all over the world doing marketing places like Vietnam, Thailand, in Cyprus.
The Ukrainians that have arrived in Olds and area have varying degrees of fluency in English. Some are very fluent while others can’t speak the language at all.
Gross said many are making great strides because their kids, enrolled in local schools, are picking up the language fast and passing it on to their parents and relatives.
Some need help with babysitting so they can attend English classes.
Gross said one lady who arrived in the community could barely speak any English and was so frustrated by that that she actually cried a bit during a get-together this past summer.
Since then she’s picked up a fair bit of the language, partly by spending time one day a week at her daughter’s school.
“They’re very eager to learn, that’s for sure," Gross said.
“And you know what? I would say they’re not needy people. It’s not like they’re begging for help. Most of them are quite humble people, I would say.
“They’re willing to work and they’re just really, I think, lovely people. I have have really been enjoying working with them.”
Transportation has also been a challenge for many.
Some who have arrived here have to wait a full year to obtain a driver’s licence, Gross said. Others have not only managed to obtain driver’s licences but even buy vehicles.
She cited one case of a couple with young children.
"They had been walking in the wintertime with their two little girls, just taking one to school and then one to the Boys and Girls Club,” Gross said.
“She works at Walmart and he works up by the college in construction so he was walking about 40 minutes every morning. She was walking, oh at least a couple of miles some days, pulling a little wagon with the little girls.
“So we’ve got volunteers now working to transport them. (They) pick them up every day and take them to school and pick them up after school when it’s been cold and all that kind of stuff. So there’s been really good community support, I will say.”
Local residents have really pitched in other ways to help Ukrainian refugees in the community, Gross said.
She said efforts by the Rotary Club of Olds include a campaign to obtain winter clothing as well as helping refugees take driving lessons and navigate the process to obtain driver’s licences.
Refugees also received help getting medicals from doctors.
Gross said Ukrainian refugees do get some government funding when they arrive in Canada, but it doesn’t last long.
Gross’s subcommittee with help from other volunteers, including some in the Rotary Club, held three events during the past year to welcome refugees and help them socialize.
Those events were a barbecue in the summer, a Thanksgiving dinner and a Christmas get together at the Cadet Hall on Dec. 11.
That Christmastime event featured a turkey dinner, gifts from -- and photos with -- Santa Claus, and a chance to choose from about 80 quilts.
“Although it continues to be a huge adjustment, many expressed their gratitude in how welcoming the community has been,” Gross wrote in an account of that event.
Gross is unsure how many Ukrainian refugees will stay in this country if the war in their home country ends, but she believes some will make Canada – and Olds specifically – their new permanent home.
That said, the cold snap a few weeks ago was pretty tough for them.
“They’re not used to that. It does not get that cold in Ukraine. It’s not like it’s not winter, but it does not get as cold as it does here. Maybe –10 would probably be very cold there,” she said, “so it was difficult.”
Gross said many Ukrainian families seemed happy to celebrate Christmas according to the Canadian calendar even though in Ukraine the tradition is to celebrate New Year’s Eve on Jan. 6 and Christmas Day the next day. She suspects some still did that.
Gross said if anyone is interested in learning more about how they can help or are considering hosting a family, they can call her at (403) 556-2288 or contact the Town of Olds administration office.
She said another option is to contact the UDPPC.
Gross said the UDPPC has made arrangements to ensure financial donations will go specifically to families in Olds and a tax receipt will be provided.
She suggested making cheques out to St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Red Deer, which has been spearheading the committee.
