Under a newly risen Ukrainian flag, the Saskatchewan government is taking steps to support those affected by the war in Ukraine.
Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison has announced that Ukrainian applications to the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nomination program will be prioritized.
In a letter to his federal counterpart Sean Fraser, he also expressed that Saskatchewan is willing to assist and welcome refugees who may be fleeing the violence.
“Ukrainian culture and traditions are deeply embedded in Saskatchewan, as approximately 15 per cent of our province’s residents trace all or part of their ancestry to Ukraine,” Harrison said in the letter penned Thursday.
“Refugees and economic immigrants from Ukraine will find a welcoming environment, supportive communities and many who share their culture and speak their language.”
The Canadian government has announced it is increasing resources in the area of Ukraine ahead of an anticipated increase in immigration-related requests.
Saskatchewan also made a $100,000 donation to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to support humanitarian aid efforts.
That was spearheaded by advice from the government’s Saskatchewan-Ukrainian Relations Advisory Committee (SURAC), which met again Thursday.
“Some of the ideas floated around the committee were looking at ways to speed up the process for any Ukrainians who have been nominated through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee program. So looking to see what, as a government, Saskatchewan can do to speed up those applications for people wanting to bring their family over or who are sort of in the system and hoping to come to Saskatchewan,” said SURAC member Angela Wojcichowsky.
“One of the other areas was looking at SaskTel waiving fees for calls and text messages to Ukraine.”
SaskTel announced Friday that it plans to temporarily waive a number of fees for those affected by the war.
The Crown corporation announced that long-distance fees for wireless, landline and business calls to Ukraine from Canada will be waived, along with relevant international texting fees and roaming charges for SaskTel customers in Ukraine.
Wojcichowsky said mental health supports for the local Ukrainian community, as well as clarifying government messaging around how residents can donate to humanitarian efforts, were also discussed. The committee plans to meet again next week.
SURAC was established in 1993 in part to promote to provide advice on enhancing business opportunities and cultural ties with Ukraine.
Progress made is in jeopardy, now, as Russian war efforts intensify.
“My entire career has been involved with working with Ukraine in some capacity, predominantly in the international development area. I can speak from my experience that all of our activities have ceased,” Wojcichowsky said.
“Our primary concern is that our colleagues are safe on the ground. So that could put a damper on any activities for anywhere from a month to the next three months.”
She added that while Ukraine is far from Saskatchewan’s biggest trading partner, business with the nation won’t go unscathed.
“Agriculture equipment goes to Ukraine and I’m sure ports are now seized.
“I think the implications for the world are huge. Ukraine is a huge agricultural producer and was once the breadbasket of Europe. Those effects will be felt all over the world. For any sort of trade with Ukraine, it’s uncertain what will come next, and what parts of Ukraine will be open to trade risk.”