Non-profit group sees 'massive uptick' in Ukrainian refugees arriving on Vancouver Island
Max Shkurupii is one of 951 Ukrainians who have fled their homeland and are now living on Vancouver Island.
"I saw that my kids stopped smiling," said Shkurupii. "My kids were forced to go into the bomb shelters."
Landing on the island in November, his family counts themselves lucky that they were able to find housing quickly.
His family might be the exception as a flood of new Ukrainians arrive on the island and face a housing crisis and strained resources.
"We had gotten into a pretty good rhythm where we were able to help people," said Karmen McNamara, general manager of Help Ukraine Vancouver Island.
The organization assists Ukrainian refugees with settling on Vancouver Island.
"Up until December we were averaging about 10 people per week," said McNamara.
Ten has now turned into 61 just last week.
In March of last year, the federal government implemented a program in order to speed up the process of Ukrainians coming to Canada. That program is set to expire at the end of March of this year.
"With the March 31 deadline looming, we are seeing this massive uptick in people who are coming," said McNamara.
That influx is putting huge pressure on the small organization that has become unable to house everyone through its host families or hotel funds.
"To have to look at a refugee in the eye and to tell them, 'I'm sorry, I don’t have a place for you to sleep tonight and I don’t know who to tell you to call' – I just don’t know," said McNamara.
That heartbreaking scenario played out last week.
The group is now looking for help as the need continues to climb.
"Any space that you have that is currently not being lived in is space that we can offer to a Ukrainian refugee," said McNamara.
Landing in Canada months ago, Shkurupii's family beat the current rush of Ukrainian immigrants looking to come to Canada before the federal program expires.
"We knew that we had no room for failure," he said.
Shkurupii knows from experience that coming to a new country isn’t easy, especially one that is already facing a housing shortage of its own.
If you are able to help with donations or want to become a host family, you can visit the Help Ukraine Vancouver Island website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Time limits were meant to speed up justice. They also halt hundreds of criminal cases
Supporters say the so-called Jordan ruling has sped up proceedings and strengthened Charter rights for prompt justice. But the legacy of Jordan is mixed, and some victims say the time limits work in criminals' favour.
Three charged in One Direction singer Liam Payne's death
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine authorities said on Thursday.
RCMP already 'on high alert' for potential wave of migrants after Trump election
Canada's federal police force has been preparing for months on a contingency plan for a potential massive influx of migrants across the border following Trump's promise of 'mass deportations' of millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
Oven to be removed from Halifax store where employee died: Walmart
Walmart says a large bakery oven will be removed from the Halifax store where an employee died last month.
Prince William describes family's 'brutal' year as wife and father faced cancer treatment
Prince William has described the past year as "brutal" following cancer diagnoses for his wife and father. "Honestly, it's been dreadful," he said.
Sparks fly as MPs question minister on pension implications of proposed election date change
Sparks flew at a parliamentary committee Thursday as MPs questioned Canada's democratic institutions minister about a widely opposed provision in electoral reform legislation that seeks to delay the next fixed election date by one week.
How many criminal cases in each province or territory were halted by time limits?
A review of information provided by provinces and territories shows more than 400 criminal cases have been halted across Canada since the start of last year.
NEW Advocacy group fights to save Alberta's wild horses from population control plan 10 years after cull
An Alberta advocacy group is pushing to save the province's wild horse population, 10 years after the government ordered a cull and amid a new plan to manage the animal's numbers.
'There is no electricity': Canadian travellers in Cuba urge caution in hurricane's wake
Cuba's power grid was knocked out by Hurricane Rafael, which ripped across the country as a Category 3 storm. In western Cuba, it toppled buildings and pushed 50,000 people to find shelter elsewhere. Cubans were already enduring rolling blackouts due to energy shortages.