'They've lost everything again': Ukrainians displaced again following Jasper wildfires

Many Ukrainians fleeing the war in their home country came to Jasper to find a fresh start, but now they’ve been displaced again following the destructive wildfires that ravaged the town.

Of the approximately 5,000 Jasper residents forced from their homes by wildfires, roughly 100 of them were Ukrainians who came to the town in search of a stable home.

Now many of them were displaced yet again after their homes, jobs and belongings were destroyed.

Iarema Pokotskyi moved to Canada with his wife and daughter in January. They left Ukraine in 2022 and spent time in Poland, Germany and Denmark before landing in Calgary.

“We’ve been trying to find a place where we can sit back and relax,” Pokotskyi said.

“But that ever-changing circle of places to stay, it was like you never basically feel like you belong somewhere.

“Coming to Canada, we wanted to have the feeling of being secure and to build our own life from scratch, again.”

After running into challenges finding an apartment and jobs in Calgary they decided to try to find a smaller community to live – which is when they discovered Jasper.

With some help from the community, they found an apartment and jobs and moved in on July 1.

“We sat back, we relaxed a bit, and we were like, ‘We like this place, let’s make it home,’” Pokotskyi said.

But three weeks later, they were forced to flee again. Pokotskyi said he was in disbelief when the initial evacuation messages started being sent out.

“We didn’t want to leave,” he said.

“When I was closing the door, I looked up at my daughter’s bike, some toys, and I had that bad feeling like it’s probably (the) last time.”

Their home was among the hundreds destroyed.

Olena Sevastyanova made Jasper her home two years ago. Now, she hopes she can return.

“My apartment where I lived, it has burned and all my things burned too,” Sevastyanova said.

“I love Jasper, it has my soul.”

Many of the Ukrainians initially found their way to Jasper thanks to Nancy Addison, a resident of the town.

“A lot of these Ukrainians, they’ve lost everything in Ukraine, and now they’ve lost everything again,” Addison said.

When the war began, she knew she wanted to find a way to help those who were displaced. So, she put up an ad offering a free room for a year and a job at the Bright Spot Family Restaurant.

After a successful first year, she decided to continue trying to find jobs and accommodations.

“That started me thinking, ‘Well there’s got to be other people who would be willing to do this too,” Addison said.

Through the initiative, Addison said they brought more than 100 Ukrainians to Jasper.

Addison was not in Jasper when the wildfires arrived, but she kept tabs on it through her family. She could only watch as the destruction began.

“For me, that’s my entire neighbourhood, my entire life of 35 years in that house with the history of my family, my four kids, my mother, my grandparents," she said.

“Everything’s gone and my husband and I only have two bags of clothing.”

Financial support for Jasper residents affected by the wildfires is set to end on Sept. 3.

Jasper’s director of recovery says conversations are ongoing with all levels of government to see what other supports can be provided.

The uncertainty is leaving the Pokotskyi family, and others, unsure about where to turn next.

“The lesson is learned: life can be unpredictable, and yes it can be hard, to rebuild, again, and again, and again,” Pokotskyi said.

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the Pokotskyi family.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski