Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an estimated 50 Ukrainian families have settled in Cochrane. Agencies like the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) are helping refugee families settle in.
The CCIS offers folks the services they need to adjust to a new life, like help with a job search. They also offer mental health services to help people recover from war.
Even Cochrane’s residents are doing what they can to help. For example, Chantal Barber and a small group of volunteers are using Facebook to get in touch with Ukrainian families seeking refuge.
Once connected, Chantal and her group assist families in finding the resources and services they need to settle in Canada.
Barber also offers to pick up refugees from the airport and helps them navigate Cochrane. With help from her husband, she has hosted three families.
Barber originally wanted to help out by volunteering in Ukraine. “It started out with me wanting to go and volunteer in Ukraine,” she told Cochrane Now. “In a past life, I was a nurse, but my husband was less than inclined to let me go to war.”
Barber is half-Ukranian and has helped nearly 40 families find their way in Cochrane and other parts of Alberta. But she isn’t the only resident doing her part.
In July, Mohammad Bhuiyan decided to welcome a family of seven into his home. Mohammad’s willingness to help comes from his own experience as an immigrant from Bangladesh.
A family of seven sounds like a lot, but Bhuiyan is unfazed. “God has given me enough,” he told Global News, “enough where I think it’s time for me to help others.”
Mohammad is now doing what he can to help Violetta Nytsyk and her husband and their five kids.
In total, there are about 200 Ukrainian refugees settled in Cochrane. With conflicts still ongoing, it’s likely that refugees will continue to arrive in the town throughout the summer.
As of July 25, 2022, Premier Jason Kenney announced that new arrivals will be eligible for temporary assistance. This would include support for six months to cover basic expenses such as food, clothing and rent. Kenney also announced an expanded subsidy.
This subsidy would allow Ukrainians with children under 12 to apply for six months of child-care funding. Families would receive an average of $600 per month.
Depending on how many refugees arrive in the next few months, Canada expects to invest between $15 million and $38 million in helping Ukrainians flee the war. While support is offered province-wide, refugees are encouraged to seek refuge in smaller communities where rent is substantially lower.
