Alberta to spend extra $7M for newcomer supports in Budget 2023 as aid organizations note growing demand

Alberta is planning to spend an additional $7 million over the next three years on language and settlement services, such as those that have helped 22,000 Ukrainians settle in the province since Russia invaded one year ago. 

The money will be allocated in Budget 2023, which will be released on Tuesday. 

Additionally, Alberta is allowing Ukrainian newcomers to access its rent supplement program, which it is expanding. It is also extending the Ukrainian Evacuee Emergency Support and Benefits program so that eligible applicants will receive help until January 2024 and removing the six-month cap.

Budget 2023 will allocate $9.9 million and $3.6 million to the programs, respectively, to accommodate the changes. 

"I'm really grateful from my heart from our government for Alberta to support Ukrainians because they are stressed," Oleksandr Danyleiko, the consul general of Ukraine in Edmonton, said at the news conference Friday morning in Vegreville. "You can imagine what they feel, leaving the country, leaving loved ones, leaving homes and go[ing] to [a] place they don't know. And they really need this support." 

Thursday marked one year since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. 

As of Feb. 16, Canada had approved more than 500,000 applications for immigration from Ukraine and about 16,000 Ukrainians have made the trip, according to Catholic Social Services (CSS). The agency has helped resettle an estimated 2,500 people in Edmonton and Ukraine. 

It invited media to its office in north-central Edmonton on Thursday to launch a $100,000 fundraiser for its Refugee Relief Fund, which is running "alarmingly low," according to CEO Troy Davies. 

"There are few times in the agency's history that have challenged us in the ways that we are being challenged today," Davies commented. 

As long as Budget 2023 is approved, the $7 million for language and settlement programs will be released in $3-million chunks in the next two years with the remaining $1 million provided in 2025-26.  

The government has promised to work with service providers to determine how to best spend the funds. 

$100K FUNDRAISER LAUNCHED

Margaryta Marion, the director of the CSS' immigration and settlement service, said her agency receives 60 calls a day from Ukrainians who need help, guidance or support. 

About 100 inquiries a week are about housing, whether emergency, temporary, or permanent.

Currently, there are 25 government-funded hotel rooms for Ukrainians arriving directly to Edmonton — which is nowhere near enough, Marion said during a news conference Thursday morning.

"It's really challenging to accommodate all the requests," she told CTV News Edmonton. "We just try to manage as much as we can and to provide services to as many Ukrainians as we can."

This is why, in addition to the fundraising, CSS is renewing a call for families who are willing to host refugees and help with their most urgent need: shelter. 

Over a year of conflict in Ukraine, demand has not gone away, Marion said.

"It's actually not slowed down, but in fact increased," she said. 

"In the beginning, we saw a huge interest in hosting Ukrainians," Marion said. "However, as the war continues, and maybe it's not so much on the news. 

"Yes, we hear here and there some new stories about, yes, the war continues. However, it's not the same impact as it was."

Catholic Social Services has continued to support refugees from Afghanistan, while helping Ukrainians. 

BATTLING PTSD AND DEPRESSION

Nataliia, from Kyiv, came to Canada at the end of spring last year. On Thursday, she recalled to reporters what it was like living in the city as air warning sirens rang out all day long. While others went to makeshift bomb shelters in basements or subway stations, she was terrified to go outside.

"I was too scared to go outside but also scared to stay indoors," she told CTV News Edmonton. "So it was like a continuous loop of fear."

Her trip to Lviv – normally a 13 to 15 hour car ride – took three days because roads were jammed or had been destroyed and many gas stations were shut down or out of supply. 

She worked in Poland as her paperwork to come to Canada was processed.

When she made it to Canada, flashbacks of conflict continued. Luckily, her host was a retired counsellor who helped her find a doctor and navigate the health-care system.

"In Canada, my PTSD and depression were beating me up, proverbially, every single day," Nataliia said. "I was a test to myself and everyone, a test of patience."

Hearing that CSS is struggling to help Ukrainians seeking safety in Canada makes Nataliia feel even more anxious.

"My own needs are hard enough to meet in Canada because I have to learn everything here," she said, noting she at least speaks English. For those who don't, she said: "That is crazy scary."

Having organizations like CSS set her up with shelter and furniture is critical, Nataliia added.

"When we get help, we feel like we are treated as people." 

CSS' Refugee Relief Fund was created in 2021 to help those fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban took control. At the time, CSS solicited $60,000 in donations. In 2022, the agency helped settle 2,300 refugees. 

CSS is accepting donations through its website or phone line at 780-439-HOPE.