“The war doesn’t ask if you’re ready”
“We came with our suitcases, our hope, and our credit cards,” was how community activist, Yuliia Kondratska put it. “We had no time to prepare, we had no opportunity to learn the language.”
“When you cook a chicken properly, you have to prepare it and pull it apart before putting it in the pot. We were the chicken that just got thrown into the pot whole. The war doesn’t ask if you’re ready.”
It wasn’t the first time that the mighty Miramichi had welcomed the downtrodden in her midst but, as a result of the Ukrainians who have arrived here over the past two years, it was the largest influx of one particular group in quite some time.
As most people know, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which caused people from Ukraine to seek refuge in many countries around the world. The stories of those who headed west, first to places thought to be safer in their own country, then out of Ukraine altogether, are broadly similar: the people and things (including houses and vehicles) left behind, the thought of possibly never seeing their homeland again and, of course, the sickening idea that Russia could come out victorious in its brutal designs on Ukraine. All of these weighed heavily.
Poland and Romania, as well as Germany and some others, accepted the first wave of those fleeing their ravaged homeland, yet this was not the final stop for many.
North America beckons
As had been the case for hundreds of years, the shores of North America beckoned, not only to those who were actually in Ukraine at the time of the invasion, but to those who had reasons, such as work or personal visits, to be outside its borders when the bombs started falling. Some had already even been considering such a move, so the war simply pushed them more quickly in that direction.
For many, the US was the first choice, particularly for those who had been there before. However, Canada’s CUAET (Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel) program which, although not an actual refugee immigration stream, provided a certain amount of financial support and flexibility in terms of bringing family and obtaining gainful employment for at least a while.
Overall, the program made it easier to come here instead of the US or elsewhere and many held the belief that Canada was safer, more peaceful, and more welcoming to immigrants anyway.
An invitation to a place ready to welcome people
Once families had made the decision to come to Canada, word of mouth and a promotional video of the Miramichi area that Serhiy Seniv of Dieppe had made and distributed widely ensured that a fair share of those coming to this country would settle here in the environs of the picturesque and historic river.
Then (as I outlined in a previous article in these pages), Miramichiers did what Miramichiers do, which is to organize and do everything possible, not only to make the newcomers feel welcome, but to ensure that they had access to available jobs and housing. Much of this has happened because of the establishment of the community group Miramichi Supports Ukraine (MSU), who assisted with all manner of settlement logistics.
This meant that, right off the bat, Ukrainians arriving here were not landing into some sort of void, but rather into a community with the tools to help them hit the ground running. Some people stayed with others who had arrived previously but, in most cases, MSU had living arrangements ready for them. Even though the initial phase was going to be challenging for all concerned, the new arrivals didn’t have to start from scratch.
Paying it forward
According to MSU representatives Mike and Monique Kettela, the organization eventually developed a network that had contact with almost every landlord in the area. Landlords bought into this process because they didn’t have to work very hard to fill vacancies. They’d also had good experiences renting to the early arrivals, so they were more than happy to take MSU’s subsequent referrals. MSU also built a similar relationship with Miramichi area employers.
Ms. Kondratska spoke to me of all the positives that have arisen from this particular influx of newcomers. “Everyone who wants to work is working,” said Ms. Kondratska. “They will do whatever they must to get themselves established. Even the lawyers, engineers, and other professionals among them will do whatever work is available.”
Ukrainians have always tended to band together to get things done and establishing the 200-person+ Ukrainian community in Miramichi has been no exception. “Almost every family that comes here then helps two other families, then those each help two more, and so on,” added Ms. Kondratska. “It’s all about paying it forward.”
Challenge #1: Language
It has not all been easy, though. Every single Ukrainian interviewed spoke of language difficulties as being the primary challenge. Some arrived here with a smattering of English, while most arrived with none at all. As might be expected, some have been eager to take up the challenge of learning a new language, while others are less so.
What’s worse, as the Kettelas told me, Miramichi has almost no English as a Second Language training available. One couple was fortunate in that a very kind woman with whom I’d had French classes offered to work with them for a while at no cost but, being well into her retirement as an educator, she was understandably not eager to take on more work. Some managed to find lessons online or otherwise self-study but, overall, language has been a steep hill to climb.
Moreover, language proficiency is one of the requirements for eventual Permanent Residency. Since the vast majority do indeed want to stay and build their lives here, language training will be a critical part of that process. To qualify for Permanent Residency, at least one member of every family unit has to meet all that program’s requirements, including proficiency in one of the two official languages, so more opportunities for learning a new language in this burgeoning community will be essential.
Challenge #2: The naysayers
Another challenge when there is any influx of immigrants anywhere in the world is full community acceptance. The vast majority of Miramichiers have been kind and welcoming but there are always those few who love the venomous bullhorn of social media who think that newcomers are somehow snapping up housing and jobs. “We should be doing more for the people who are already here,” is heard now and then.
Monique Kettela’s response to those is to wonder why no one who already lives here has been doing exactly that to this point. She adds that those housing and employment opportunities have been here all along – the difference is that MSU put together an organized, concerted effort to give Ukrainians first crack at some of them. Yes, the newcomers and the employers hiring them have received some government support, but that goes only so far.
“Someone still has to put the legwork in to build the networks that uncover these opportunities,” she said.
Choosing to stay?
So how many of those Ukrainians who chose to come to Miramichi will want to stay? According to Yuliia Kondratska, the vast majority certainly do and they will, as long as there is work and the right kind of community infrastructure to allow for that. The river (including the fishing), the climate, and the community’s overall welcome and warmth draw the people here and will undoubtedly draw more over time. In fact, Ms. Kondratska already has letters from Ukrainians who fled the war and landed in some of Canada’s big cities who actually want to leave the urban jungle and move to Miramichi.
This is now home for most of the new arrivals. Children have already been born here and many newcomers are already moving from the initial getting-established phase to the community-building phase. “The hope is that one day, there will be a community centre or some other venue where people can gather.”
I asked Ms. Kondratska what advice she had for people who want to come to Canada. “Three things,” she said. “One, don’t be afraid. Two, have faith that your community will be there to support you. And three, choose Miramichi.”