'It's all hands on deck': Edmonton-based tour company pivots to support displaced Ukrainians

An Edmonton-based tour company that offers extensive programming in Ukraine has pivoted to helping provide support to displaced residents amid the Russian invasion.

In a week, Cobblestone Freeway Tours interpreters and staff went from leading tourists to supporting displaced Ukrainians in finding shelter and supplies.

Vincent Rees, CEO and founder, told CTV News Edmonton that the company's offices in Poland and Ukraine had been turned into temporary living spaces for displaced people and journalists working in the regions.

"Right now, our entire focus is on supporting refugees," Rees said. "(In Edmonton) we've been collecting donations and sending them right to them in Ukraine, and they're actually using the money to support refugees that are coming from the east."

Staff have been purchasing hard to find items like bedding, medical supplies, cooking appliances, food, soap, and diapers that are in turn sent to the tour company's office in Lviv.

Rees said staff members in Lviv are also supporting a group of children from an orphanage near Kyiv that had to leave after increased bombing.

"It's all hands on deck trying to help the refugees in Lviv," he said. "We are doing whatever we can to support them in our own small way."

Instead of selling trips, the tour company attended the Edmonton International Airport's annual travel show on Saturday after a two-year hiatus to raise awareness about the conflict and collect donations.

"After COVID, we had really hoped to get back to promoting tours to Ukraine," Rees said. "But right now, we've just had to shift our focus completely to trying to help as best as we can."