Langford mayor headed to Ukraine to deliver relief supplies
A team of volunteers from Langford, B.C. – including the city's mayor – is heading to war-torn Ukraine to deliver desperately needed supplies and support, with the help of a community campaign that's raised half a million dollars.
"This is for the future, to help those people in Ukraine to make sure that they can get through this," said Langford Mayor Stew Young.
The four-person team includes the mayor and the city’s former fire chief, Bob Beckett.
The team will be travelling to the European country, which is under attack by Russia, at the end of the month with a three-fold mission.
"The first one is feeding the thousands of women and children that’ve fled Eastern Ukraine," said Beckett, who is acting as the project's logistics officer.
"The second is to distribute locally purchased dry goods and canteen products so that we can supply elderly folks that remain behind in these western rural communities because they’re not mobile – they can’t leave," he said.
The team will also deliver equipment for volunteer firefighters to help with search and rescues on bombed buildings – and identify a sister city to coordinate ongoing support.
"It’s necessary help," said Ukrainian refugee Artem Luzanovski. He fled the Donbas region in April and is now on Vancouver Island.
"Many people have problems with food, with clean water," he said, among other concerns.
COMMUNITY EFFORT
The Langford Supports Ukraine Emergency Humanitarian Relief Project raised around $500,000 to fund the work, which is in partnership with GlobalMedic.
"It's the single largest amount of money that we've ever raised in a week in Langford, and we're going to continue to do it," said Young.
The Toronto-based charity has been providing disaster relief and life-saving humanitarian aid to countries for decades.
"Probably the most important thing that we’re doing with the funds out of Langford is creating emergency food kits inside Ukraine – helping stabilize the local economy," said GlobalMedic executive director Rahul Singh.
For security reasons, the team can’t say where or when it’ll be travelling, but it promises to share updates and videos upon return.
The president of the Victoria branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress is among those thanking the team for its support.
"Yes, it’s important to remember to support our Ukrainians arriving here," said Devon Sereda Goldie. "But our Ukrainian friends and family members in Ukraine also need help."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.