Almost 120,000 Ukrainians have applied to come to Canada, fleeing the Russian invasion of their home country.
Under the federal government’s new emergency travel program, more than 30,000 applications have now been approved and B.C. officials said Wednesday a number of refugees will be arriving in the province soon.
B.C. has now expanded the Service BC phone line to include United Way British Columbia’s bc211 service.
This is a multilingual service that connects people to more than 15,500 free social supports, services and community programs throughout the province.
The province said service is offered in more than 150 languages and also allows British Columbians to connect with opportunities to help in any way they can.
“Expanding services to include bc211 marks our next step in supporting Ukrainians arriving in British Columbia with the services they need,” Municipal Affairs Minister Nathan Cullen said Wednesday.
Ottawa has previously announced more key services such as language training, employment assistance and other supports to help Ukrainians arriving in Canada.
B.C. is also offering a website to help the Ukrainians who come to the province.
The new portal, called Welcoming Ukraine, is where Ukrainians can access information and services as newcomers.
“Service BC has received hundreds of calls for support over the past week, and we know that demand will increase as more displaced Ukrainians arrive on our shores,” Citizens’ Services Minister Lisa Beare said.
“The addition of bc.211.ca will expand supports currently offered by Service BC and provide targeted guidance to both arrivals and volunteers.”
In addition to the expansion of United Way British Columbia’s services, the province said more supports are available to help Ukrainians settle in B.C., including:
- Access to free employment services and supports available through 102 WorkBC Centres, including skills training, employment counselling and access to the WorkBC provincial job board with more than 49,000 job postings, job application tips and career tools;
- School districts are free to enroll K-12 students from Ukraine and can waive additional fees they might have for extracurricular activities, such as music or soccer camps, where the financial situation of the family necessitates it;
- Affordable and no-cost mental-health resources for children, youth and their families from community counselling providers throughout British Columbia; and
- Ensuring Ukrainians arriving though the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program are eligible for domestic tuition at public post-secondary institutions. As well, post-secondary institutions are delivering access to on-campus supports, including mental-health, accommodation and financial assistance, such as emergency grants or tuition deferrals.
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