It was a long journey from war-torn Ukraine to a quiet villa community in western Manitoba, but Hannah Palamarchuk and Nikola Jurors finally made it.
“We are extremely grateful to the community and very grateful to the CBC for your report, because that’s how we found out about this opportunity for us,” the 31-year-old Palamarchuk said on Tuesday, hours after getting off the plane in Winnipeg.
This opportunity includes a safe place to live and work, a proposal made by people in the villa communities of Clear Lake and Onanole, Man., With financial support from Elkhorn Resort and Harrison Park.
“They sent me an email directly after seeing the news program you aired and received their documents fairly quickly. The first ones to arrive want to work right away, which is great for us, “said Chris Phillips, manager of Elkhorn Resort.
The couple has experience in hospitality. With their excellent English, they will work as servers in one of the restaurants and live in staff accommodation.
“It was a pretty good experience,” Phillips said of the process of bringing the couple to Canada. The resort is working with at least two other family groups who also want to move here after seeing the history of the CBC.
“It simply came to our notice then. “When I hear some of these people and what they’re going through, it’s pretty heartbreaking,” Phillips said.
WATCH Hannah Palamarchuk and Nikola Jurors arrive in Manitoba
“I can’t believe we’re safe,” said the Ukrainian refugee, who is starting a new life in Manitoba.
A couple fleeing war-torn Ukraine has landed in a quiet villa community in western Manitoba that offers them a safe place to live and work. 3:24
Palamarchuk and the Jury’s journey began in Kyiv on February 24, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
“I heard the first one, I’m not sure, was it a rocket or a jet fighter at 5:00 in the morning?” And then I heard the explosion not so far away. I woke her up [Palamarchuk] and we started looking for news to see what was happening, “the 33-year-old Jury recalled.
After spending the next day at Kyiv’s metro stations, which doubled as bomb shelters, the couple decided to join others heading west to Poland.
Honestly, I can’t believe it. I still can’t believe this is our reality. I can not believe that we are safe. – Hannah Palamarchuk, Ukrainian refugee
“We hoped to return maybe in a week or two, because we thought that the negotiations would start and they would come to some conclusion and we would stop fighting,” Jurors said. “But it just escalates more and more.”
Once on the Polish border, the couple was moved by the kindness of strangers.
One took them and took them to his family home until they found another place to spend the night.
“Happy coincidences”
As early as March 2021, the couple began the process of applying for immigration for the Federal Individual Program of Canada, based on their small business in leather goods for e-commerce. (It’s paused because they had to abandon all their tools and materials, but they hope to start again soon.)
On February 28, two days after fleeing to Poland, they were arranged to provide their biometric data to Canadian Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
The Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Program was launched on March 17. The next day, they applied for a temporary residence permit with an open work permit. Within two weeks, their applications for CUAET were approved. The IRCC is now processing their applications for permanent residence.
“So many happy coincidences that brought us here,” Juror said.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it. I still can’t believe it’s our reality. I can’t believe we’re safe,” Palamarchuk added.
The two arrived in Manitoba with only two small survival backpacks, which they had packed a month before the Russian invasion. Each bag contained: their documents, laptop and chargers, their valuables, a camera, a flashlight, three sets of T-shirts, socks and underwear, a sweater, first aid kits, protein pads and hygiene products.
One of the first stops for Nikola Prisyazhni and Hannah Palamarchuk in Manitoba was quick shopping for supplies before last week’s snowstorm. (Karen Pauls / CBC News)
As the countryside was locked before the blizzard, Phillips took them to nearby Erickson to shop.
This part of Manitoba has a large Ukrainian population. Every summer, the nearby Dauphin community hosts the Canadian National Ukrainian Festival.
Rumors of the arrival of newcomers spread quickly.
Minutes later, the manager of the Co-op store introduced them to one of his employees, who is from Ukraine.
Her eyes filled with tears and her voice broke, she and the couple immediately began to speak Ukrainian and shared an emotional hug.
“It was unexpected and surprising,” Palamarchuk said with a wide smile on his face.
“She is from Vinitsa, about 30 miles from where we grew up,” Jurors added. “In different parts of Ukraine people speak a little different Ukrainian. And she speaks Ukrainian the way we speak it.”
Hannah Palamarchuk receives a hug from an employee of the Erickson Cooperative, who is from the same region of Ukraine. (Jason Empson / CBC News)
While shopping for shampoo, cereal, bacon and bread, several people stopped to shake hands and greet them in Canada.
Palamarchuk and the Jury are still worried about those left behind in Ukraine. They are also worried about the future of their country.
But they are grateful to have this chance to start a new life.
“We are very lucky and very happy to be in Canada,” said the Jury.
“We are extremely grateful to the Canadian government for allowing us to enter. We are extremely grateful to CBC News for making this report, for making it possible for us, to provide all the necessary information. And we have high hopes for the future. “
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