Second flight of Ukrainian refugees coming to Saskatchewan

Another plane full of Ukrainian refugees is set to fly to Canada next month, with its passengers’ final destination being Regina.

Provincial officials say details are still being worked out but that it should arrive on or around Aug. 10 and that another 230 Ukrainians will be on board.

They add that this time around the plane, which will be the same aircraft — a Boeing 787 Dreamliner — that brought the first group of 230 Ukrainians to Regina on July 4 will likely land first in Calgary or Edmonton, where the passengers will then board flights chartered by the province to bring them to the Queen City.

“Because we had so much work in getting that 787, we might look at alternate ways of doing it, including landing it in Calgary and getting a few private planes to bring them to Regina,” said MLA and Legislative Secretary for Saskatchewan-Ukraine Relations Terry Dennis, adding these details should be confirmed Wednesday morning.

“That ended up being quite a bit of work. It was a lot of juggling and a lot of work. We even had to get a special scissor lift in to unload the luggage because the lifts in Regina aren’t big enough. ”

Dennis confirmed the flight from Poland to Calgary will be provided by Argentine philanthropist Enrique Piñeyro’s non-profit Solidaire, as was the July 4 flight.

It will also again be organized in partnership with Open Arms, which provides emergency humanitarian support to those fleeing conflict zones.

Dennis said settlement services will again be arranged to be easily accessed by the displaced Ukrainians.

“The reaction we’re getting from the Ukrainians is that we’re one of the best in the country at accepting Ukrainians and having everything ready like health cards and housing, banking and insurance.”

Those who arrived on the July 4 flight say the “one-stop shops” for settlement services which were set up in Regina and Saskatoon were a big help as they worked to get settled in Canada.

“We got our SIN numbers, our phone cards, and I got my bank account and other government support, all within one week,” said Ukrainian Olya Machuga, who arrived in Regina and has since been able to find work in Winnipeg.

“It was a big help because when you arrive you’re not sure of anything.”

The provincial government added that the flight is also being arranged in coordination with the Ukrainian embassy in Canada and that it is “looking at opportunities to welcome more Ukrainian citizens in the future.”

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