BONNYVILLE – Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, many Ukrainians have settled in the Lakeland region for safety and a fresh start - away from the war.
Oksana Vallee is a Bonnyville-based settlement worker with the Action for Healthy Communities. The non-profit helps newcomers in Alberta and across Canada.
The organization has staff who speak over 30 languages and Vallee specifically helps Ukrainians moving into the Lakeland, particularly in Bonnyville and Cold Lake.
Currently, there are about 100 Ukrainian families who settled in the Lakeland since the beginning of the war three years ago, she said. Resettlement, however, comes with challenges.
Evacuees, not refugees
Vallee said many people believe Ukrainians who arrived in Canada to escape the war in Ukraine are refugees. But she clarified they are not, “they’re evacuees.”
Outside of non-profits like Action for Healthy Communities, Ukrainians do not get benefits or help from the government like the Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP), which provides temporary housing or monthly income support for refugees.
They do not get a greeting at the airport when they arrive, nor do they get community orientation, which are also refugee benefits under the RAP. Ukrainian evacuees also do not receive other help, like personal finance assistance.
“They come here as Ukrainian evacuees with an open work permit,” explained Vallee. “They don't have all these support that refugees were able to get in Canada.”
Challenges
This means, given the experience of Ukrainian evacuees escaping the war, they tackle resettlement challenges from housing and employment akin to being an “adult newborn.”
“You need all the papers. Your SIN number. You need your driving license. You need your Alberta Health card,” she said, and Ukrainians must do all of these with limited English.
While Vallee and the Action for Healthy Communities do try their best to help evacuees by connecting them with housing resources, job opportunities, food banks, clothing donations, and English language programs, there is only so much the organization can do.
“Most people that came here, they just had small belongings with them,” she said, adding some people did not even have luggage. They just had their passports.
They had to move, “because it was necessary for survival [and] to save their own lives and their kids’ lives,” she said. “They leave everything behind.”
Ideally, Vallee would like to see more support, especially for people with limited English.
“We work with schools, and they are doing their best, but resources are so limited. I wish there was also more support for kids at schools so they can learn English faster,” she said.
Language barriers, according to Vallee, may be the biggest challenge evacuees face. Limited English means daily activities like shopping, medical appointments, registration of children in schools, and access to government services, are harder to tackle, she said.
Ukrainians want to work and contribute, but finding employment is a challenge due to barriers with language as well, she said.
Employment
Speaking more on employment, many Ukrainians are also overqualified for many in-demand positions, she said. Many people were professionals in Ukraine, like teachers, professors, doctors, welders, or technicians, but they must start again from scratch by working at entry-level positions.
Studying for their Canadian qualifications is also a challenge, because Ukrainian diplomas are not recognized by either the provincial or the federal governments.
Are there benefits?
Asked if Ukrainians receive benefits from the government, Vallee said the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) did provide temporary relief measures to Ukrainians in the past.
CUAET is a federal program that allowed Ukrainians and their family members to continue to work and study in Canada until it is safe to go back home. About 300,000 Ukrainians arrived in Canada through CUAET.
CUAET, which came to an end on March 31, provided free settlement services “for all Ukrainian temporary residents and their family members in Canada,” reads information from the Government of Canada.
These settlement services, according to Vallee, included free antibiotics and other essential help like daycare or after-school care.
A CAUET status also provided the Ukrainian Evacuee Temporary Health Benefits Program (UETHBP) to eligible evacuees. UETHBP is a provincial program that provided coverage for essential health services like dental care, prescription drugs, eye exams, and emergency ambulance services.
But with the halting of CUAET, Ukrainians now must pay out of pocket for all those things, she said.
Without CUAET, Ukrainians also have to go through standard immigration pathways if they wish to remain in Canada, including Ukrainians who arrived after March 2024.
Ukrainians who arrived through CUAET before March 2024 have until March 2026 to apply for a “new open work permit valid for up to three years, renew an existing work permit, or apply for a new study permit,” according to information from the federal government.
Vallee hopes the federal government would extend the program until the war is over.
Looking ahead, she also hopes for more structured government support, including clearer pathways to permanent residency and improved mental health services for those coping with the trauma of displacement.
Permanent residency scams
In addition to suffering from trauma, scammers are also taking advantage of Ukrainians, especially through social media, by offering them instant permanent resident status.
Vallee said this is impossible.
“It's very important to understand that [permanent residency] is not easy to get,” she said. “And if you don't speak English and you don't have employment, then it's going to make it harder for you to become a permanent resident.”
Are there enough resources?
Asked if Action for Healthy Communities has enough resources to help evacuees, given that about 100 evacuee families are currently in the Lakeland, Vallee said that more resources would not hurt.
Having more staff members in communities like St. Paul or Elk Point would help with demand.
“In my perfect scenario, I would love to have someone who can cover those areas. But realistically, I don't know if it's going to be possible or not, to be honest,” she said.
Community support
While evacuees face many challenges, local communities have played significant roles welcoming Ukrainians in the Lakeland, she said.
“I just want to say thank you to all the Lakeland community for supporting Ukrainian evacuees,” said Vallee. Volunteer groups, churches, and sponsors have helped provide temporary housing, transportation, and household donations.
Community members also hosted fundraisers to help.
“We have an amazing community,” she said. “A lot of people helped without even saying their names. They just did it out of the goodness from their hearts.”
And that means a lot, said Vallee.
“This invasion of Ukraine ruined lots of lives and lots of families,” and many families remain displaced and separated, she added. “So, thank you to everyone working, helping and trying to understand Ukrainian evacuees.”
