Ukrainian centre in Victoria hosts pop-up office for refugees

The fundraiser sold out early Friday morning, and there were long lines out the door — and along the street — with folks queuing up to purchase food and make donations. (CTV)

Ukrainians fleeing their war-torn country have been arriving in Victoria over the past few weeks, and on Thursday they were given some help to get settled.

The Ukrainian Cultural Centre hosted a pop-up office for the newcomers featuring different branches of the federal and provincial governments offering services.

Service BC, Service Canada, ICBC, Island Health and the United Way were all part of the one-stop shop for the new families to get established.

The president of Victoria’s Ukrainian Cultural Centre says it will help them navigate the process of coming to Canada and to get the paperwork and assistance they need to settle in.

“We had a whole team of volunteers here today helping with translation and making sure everyone was able to fill out applications,” says Devon Sereda-Goldie.

“They were able to get things like SIN numbers, MSP, information about vaccines, different health programs and learn about doctors and nurses that might be available to them. Just a whole swath of things that they need to really start to get a foundation and settlement here in Victoria.”

The United Way was also handing out school supplies and handmade stuffed animals to kids.

The Ukrainian Cultural Centre hopes to hold the pop-up offices every two to three weeks as more immigrants arrive.

On Sunday, the Ukraine Cultural Centre and White Eagle Polish Association will be co-hosting "Spring Into Hope," a benefit concert to raise money for humanitarian aid in Ukraine.

Performers include the White Eagle Band, Kalyna Ukrainian Choir, LUNA Ukrainian Ensemble, Polonez Polish Dancers, Veselka Dance, Tatiana Kostour, Yanina Kosivanova, and more.

Tickets are $20 and are available here.