'I just think it's worth the risk': B.C. man quits job as he prepares to fight for Ukraine
A line cook and former tugboat deckhand quit his job and is putting his life on hold to fight Russian troops in war-torn Ukraine.
Bryson Woolsey, from Powell River, B.C., says he expects to ship out for Ukraine next week as he aims to ward off Russian occupiers on Ukrainian soil.
"I'm not trying to walk in there gung-ho or anything, but I just think it’s worth the risk,” said Woolsey on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old says when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky put out a call for foreign volunteers, he knew he had to act.
"I'm not going over there with any expectations," he said. "Whatever they need me to do, if that is somewhere in the back with logistics or support, or if that's a frontline combat role, I'm happy to do that. I've weighed those risks."
The B.C. man says he is collecting supplies for his trip and plans to head for Ukraine next week.
He says his family is scared and concerned but supportive of his decision.
'I FELT LIKE SOMEONE PUT A KNIFE IN MY HEART'
In Victoria, another kind of preparation is underway to defend Ukraine from Russian invaders.
Oleh Hlyniailiuk, a Ukrainian tourist, is collecting thousands of dollars worth of medical and military equipment to take home to his family and friends.
Oleh Hlyniailiuk, a Ukrainian tourist, is collecting thousands of dollars worth of medical and military equipment to take home to his family and friends. (CTV News)
"We have no choice," said Hlyniailiuk on Tuesday. "We cannot accept the occupation of Ukraine. It will mean for the world the loss of a democracy."
Hlyniailiuk was in Victoria on Tuesday to shop at military supply store MDC Law Enforcement and Military Equipment Distributors.
He and a friend filled box after box with military grade gloves, boots, medical tourniquets, bandages and other supplies.
“My roommate is now defending Kyiv,” Hlyniailiuk told CTV News.
The 26-year-old plans to fly out of Canada on Wednesday with at least 10 suitcases of gear.
In November, he accepted a friend's invitation to travel to Canada and explore B.C.’s rugged coast.
Once the invasion of his homeland began, he said he had no choice but to cut his trip short and help in any way he could.
He says his girlfriend has escaped explosions near Kyiv and fled to the western part of Ukraine.
"I felt like someone put a knife in my heart, it was so painful," said Hlyniailiuk.
Alec Rossa, the president of the military-supply company, says he will likely give the Ukrainians a deep discount, if he charges them at all, for the gear.
Rossa says he has roughly 40 family members in war-torn Ukraine and wants to help in any way he can.
Alec Rossa, the president of a military-supply company near Victoria, says he will likely give the Ukrainians a deep discount, if he charges them at all, for the gear. (CTV News)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.