The Prince George Share Hope Refugee Support Society has continued to offer aid to displaced Ukrainians seeking refuge in Northern B.C.
The organization, which operates under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George, recently released statistics on the number of Ukrainians it has helped resettle in Prince George since Russia invaded their country three years ago.
So far, Share Hope has settled 374 people from 147 families since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
One of those families is Olena Kramarenko’s, whose transition to Canada was made much easier by Share Hope.
Kramarenko is from central Ukraine and left the country with her daughters shortly after the war started.
“I really can’t imagine what I would do without this help,” Kramarenko said. “I really can’t. Literally, when we arrived at the airport, we were met by Share Hope. They arranged accommodation for us all and found furniture for the apartment. We just arrived, and they set up everything. It was amazing support at that time.”
Kramarenko also improved her English skills with Share Hope’s help and has enjoyed the unique community of Ukrainians the organization has helped settle in Prince George.
“It was the best choice for me and my family to arrive in Prince George,” Kramarenko said. “There are so many kind people. I feel like it’s my second home now. We have supported the Ukrainian church a lot, and I’m happy to see there is a Ukrainian community here to support each other, which is very necessary in this situation. I’m so grateful to Canadians for their support during this time.”
As of Jan. 28, 271 displaced Ukrainians have settled in Prince George, with 309 settling throughout the Northern BC region.
Vova Pluznikov is one of those who has helped the newly formed Ukrainian community in Prince George. Pluznikov came to Prince George nine years ago to play basketball for the UNBC Timberwolves. However, his family remained in Ukraine during the war.
“The past three years have been pretty difficult, considering that my whole family is still back in Ukraine,” Pluznikov said. “Obviously, what I’ve been dealing with is nothing compared to what my family has been through. I’m trying to stay in touch with them as much as I can. It’s affected my family quite a bit in many different ways. My brother had to relocate a few times. He was enlisted in the army and now he’s in the thick of it. My mom and dad are taking care of my grandpa back home. They can’t really leave the country because my grandpa is not in a great spot right now. They’re dealing with different things. It’s affected us in many different ways.”
Pluznikov has been a frequent collaborator with Share Hope since its inception and has seen the organization grow tremendously since the war began.
“Charles Scott, Dick Minin, and a couple of other individuals wanted to get together and create something to support Ukrainians,” Pluznikov said. “At that point, our numbers were quite small, but we wanted to find a way to bring the community together and create a space where people could brainstorm ideas to help Ukrainians starting from scratch. Share Hope was created with that idea in mind. I was fairly involved in the early stages. Now, with more than 200 Ukrainians in Prince George, that community has become a well-functioning, self-sustained machine.”
Pluznikov also raised close to $76,000 for the Canadian Red Cross during his charity marathon, 44 km for 44 million, a number he did not expect to reach.
“I came up with 44 because of the 44 million people who used to live in Ukraine,” Pluznikov said. “We organized that run in Prince George and divided the 44-kilometre distance into four equal legs. It was a very good turnout. We were able to make this happen within a week. The whole community did an amazing job spreading the word about the event, the effort, and the fundraiser. We raised quite a bit of money, which is incredible. Everyone involved was shocked by how much we raised.”
Share Hope has continued to settle new families and individuals in the city, with 171 people settled in 2022 and 142 in 2023. However, the pace of new arrivals has slowed to 84 in 2024 due to changes in the federal Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) Visa program.
Difficulty with this program stems from its temporary nature, as CUAET is only offered to Ukrainians looking to return home after the war is over. This has made the process more challenging, as newcomers face a more complicated process and are largely unsupported once they enter Canada.
Some displaced Ukrainians have moved on to other Canadian cities since settling in Prince George, with 12 others returning to Ukraine.
Share Hope reports that many newcomers to Canada still face significant hurdles, including job shortages, language barriers, and limited training opportunities.
The ending of most federal and provincial government support programs, such as those for language and job training, has made it even more difficult for Ukrainian refugees to integrate.
In addition, many new Canadians still struggle to find support for mental health, transportation, and permanent housing. These are some of the most essential programs for refugees adapting to life in Canada.
While most refugees are hopeful of making Canada their permanent home, the topic of permanent residency continues to cause anxiety, as, due to programs like CUAET, there is no clear path for many.
Work permits for most new Canadians have been extended to 2027. However, anxiety still exists for those arriving after the special measures expire.
Despite these pressures, Share Hope continues to help refugees and new Canadians find resources, connect with relatives, and support their settlement process in Northern B.C.
Kramarenko told The Citizen that her family has grown accustomed to Canada and is uncertain about returning, especially now that her daughters have received an education here.
“My daughter, for starters, has only attended school in Canada,” Kramarenko said. “She has never been to school in Ukraine. She just started French, and she is fluent in English. She doesn’t want to leave her school at all. It was a very, very traumatic experience leaving Ukraine. It’s a lot of work to engage her in school without her crying. I don’t think it would be right in this situation to bring children into another environment, even another city.”
The CUAET program statistics show that of the 1.2 million applications received, over 962,000 were approved, with nearly 300,000 arrivals by July 2024.
