'We're here to help': Vancouver Island resort ready to welcome 100 Ukrainian refugees
A team of workers, many of them volunteers, are putting the finishing touches on a new home for 100 Ukrainian refugees at a former resort in East Sooke, B.C.
The work started a month ago on what was then a dilapidated building. When war broke in Ukraine, the property's owner had a dream of welcoming people who were displaced.
"Having that community here is going to be a hugely important thing, I think," said owner Brian Holowaychuk.
Since then, workers and volunteers have transformed part of the 82-acre property into a safe haven for those fleeing conflict.
"[I've been] doing some grout working, sanding, anything that needs to be done to get it ready for the refugees," said Ken Levert, a volunteer and retired navy worker.
Not many refugees have arrived in Canada yet, but some rooms at this former resort are already spoken for.
"What we have here is a room for a mother, her daughter, and her six-year-old son," said Levert. "And also they bring with them their cat."
Several other refugees have already arrived on Vancouver Island, with thousands more expected to come to Canada in the coming weeks.
Halyna Marenko and her four-year-old son arrived in Victoria on Monday and are staying with strangers in Langford who opened their home to them.
Lainey Woolsey is hosting another Ukrainian refugee in Sooke, and she says communication will be vital in the days to come.
"One of the biggest barriers she's noticed for people is the language. They get off the airplane and they don't really know what to do or where to go," said Woolsey.
There will be more challenges ahead, but many islanders are already doing what they can to express a warm welcome.
"I feel personal satisfaction and I really would like to meet some of the people and say, 'You're safe now, you're here, and we're here to help,'" said Levert.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.