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PM Carney speaks with Ukrainian president in Halifax

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Prime Minister Mark Carney is meeting the President of Ukraine in Halifax

He’s talking with Volodymyr Zelenskyy Saturday afternoon.

The two world leaders spoke with reporters ahead of the meeting.

“Under president Zelenskyy’s leadership, we have the conditions, the possibility for a just and lasting peace, but that requires a willing Russia,” said Prime Minister Carney.

The attack we saw in Kyiv overnight, it shows how important it is to stand with Ukraine during this difficult time, and that we create the conditions for lasting peace and a true reconstruction.”

The two spoke on Boxing Day by phone, the Prime Minister’s office says they discussed the latest development in ongoing peace talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war, which has been on since 2022.

Carney commended Zelenskyy for his ‘continued efforts to secure a just and lasting peace for the people of Ukraine.’

Carney’s office say they remain engaged, and affirmed Canada’s commitment to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday to discuss a 20-point plan for peace.

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Advocates, Ukrainians call for path to permanent residence

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Many Ukrainians who fled the war with Russia are worried they will not be able to stay in Canada.

Advocates say they face a lot of barriers to long-term jobs because of the uncertainty of work permits.

Iryna Tytska says she and her family have lived in Nova Scotia for several years, so their life is here now.

“We don’t want to be sent back after settling here and having jobs and friends and families,” said Tytska.

Groups like the Ukrainian Canadian Congress want the feds to create a special path to permanent residency for Ukrainians.

Many came to the country using visas they got through the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) program.

“Many CUAET visa holders report that in addition to not knowing if and when the war in Ukraine will end, the inability to work in Canada uninterrupted and into the foreseeable future has been a major source of psychological stress and uncertainty for this group,” wrote Alexandra Chyczij, National President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, in a statement from Oct. 16.

Employers are reluctant to give long-term employment to visa holders, Chyczij says, because of the likelihood that those visas and work permits will expire.

A petition was also initiated in the house of commons by a Liberal MP, Yvan Baker, in October, which also calls for a pathway to permanent residency for Ukrainians who fled the war.

More than 42,000 people have signed it as of Nov. 5.

Tytska says she does not mind waiting through the application process, if there is a hold up with the paperwork for permanent residency, but she wants the peace of mind to know that while she waits, she will not be forced to leave the country.

She says her son has a lot of friends here.

“And he was taken from Ukraine after finishing his first grade, and he had some friends, and he lost them, so I don’t want that to happen again here.”

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Canada chartering three flights for Ukrainian refugees

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Our country is getting ready to welcome more Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion.

The federal government announced on Wednesday it’s chartering three flights to Canada from Poland over the next month.

Central Nova MP Sean Fraser says the move will help get more Ukrainians to safety amid Russia’s war.

The flights will help some of the more than 90,000 Ukrainians who have been approved for travel under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel.

The planes will land in Winnipeg on May 23, Montreal on May 29, and Halifax on June 2.

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Province Announces More Supports For Ukrainian Refugees

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The Ontario government is committing $300 million to help Ukrainian refugees to resettle.

Premier Doug Ford says the funding will cover a number of things the families will need.

“This will include expanded OHIP, and drug coverage, emergency housing, and income support for those who qualify,” says Ford.

“We’re also ensuring that elementary and high school students coming from Ukraine can attend publically funded schools here in Ontario for free. We will have all the critical supports that these families will need once they arrive here in Ontario.”

Ford says Ukrainian refugee families have already started to arrive in Ontario, but for the most part, they are staying with relatives.

Ontario’s Labor minister Monte McNaughton adds that they now have 30 thousand employment opportunties for Ukrainian refugees.

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More Gruesome Scenes Emerging From Ukraine After Moscow Retreats From The North

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It’s feared that more gruesome scenes will be discovered now that Russian forces have retreated from parts of Ukraine.

*Warning* Story contains details surrounding victims of war crime.

Ukrainian president, Volodomyr Zelensky will be speaking to leaders at the United Nations about the latest rounds of attacks and killings in his country.

Since the start of the war on Feb.24, there have been mass killings — but it wasn’t until a high tech satellite company took photos of the town of Bucha. The New York Times published the pictures of the area that had been under Russian control that detailed the large mass graves.

The area of Bucha was left desecrated; at least 410 bodies of civilians have been found in various states from laying on the ground next to bicycles or homes, others were discovered to have been tortured, tied up, burned and or raped. It’s surfaced that a torture chamber has also been discovered in Bucha.

NATO’s Secretary General is warning that while Russia has retreated from northern Ukraine, troops are regrouping to deploy another attack on the country from the east and south sides.

The Kremlin is disputing these accusations calling them fake and accusing western media of hiring crisis actors, with Moscow spreading disinformation to cover their continuous heinous acts and alleged war crimes.

So far the countries of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Denmark have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats as well as many oligarchs have had multi-million dollar properties and assets seized over current sanctions.

A representative from Moscow has called this “short-sighted” and that there could be “reciprocal steps” to these expulsions and sanctions.

 

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Shelter Box Helping In Ukraine

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A Canadian aid group is doing its part for Ukrainians displaced by the Russian invasion.

Stephanie Christianson from Shelter Box says they currently have a couple of projects to help out refugees in Ukraine.

“In Ukraine, the first thing that we’re doing is distributing mattresses in Lviv to collector centers,” says Christensen.

“So this is for people who have moved from eastern Ukraine to western Ukraine but haven’t left the country. They are staying in schools or churches and need a place to sleep.”

Christensen adds that the other project ships their shelter boxes near the front lines of fighting.

“Working on a project to supply emergency shelter kits, which are tarps, tools, and building materials, for people living more on the front lines can use to make damaged buildings habitable along with aid items like solar lights, water purification, blankets, and basic necessities they need in order to survive.”

Christiansen adds that they are currently based in Moldova and helping out refugees in that country as well.

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Ukraine President Speaks Virtually In House Of Commons

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Ukraine’s president spoke delivered an address to Canada’s House of Commons on Tuesday.

Volodymyr Zelensky virtually discussed the ongoing conflict in his country as Russia continues its attack.

“Can you imagine the famous CN Tower in Toronto if it was hit by Russian bombs, of course, I don’t wish this on anyone, but this is our reality in which we live,” said Zelensky through a translator.

Before the speech, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced more sanctions against 15 more Russian officials.

However, Zelensky said while Canada and NATO have done a lot so far, more needs to be done, such as a no-fly zone over Ukraine.

“Can you imagine when you call your friends and you ask, ‘please close the air space, please stop the bombing,’ how many more cruise missiles have to fall onto our cities until you make this happen?”

He added as many as 97 children have been killed so far from the Russian invasion.

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Trudeau Announces More Humanitarian Aid For Ukraine

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Canada is increasing its monetary commitment to humanitarian aid for Ukraine.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is doing a tour of eastern Europe and made a stop in Poland on Thursday.

He says they will be increasing their support for the Red Cross.

“Our government will match donations to the Canadian Red Cross Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis Appeal up to $30 million dollars because Canadians have been so incredibly generous and being concerned about the people of Ukraine,” states Trudeau.

“So we’re raising that from our $10 million original commitment.”

Trudeau adds that Canada is committing more money to help out agencies that are on the ground.

“$50 million from our $100 million in humanitarian aid previously announced, which has been already allocated to experienced partners, with the capacity to help displaced populations, including organizations like the World Food Program, and Save the Children and others.”

In addition, Trudeau says Canada will contribute $117 million to help Ukrainian refugees relocate.

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Trudeau Announces More Russia Sanctions

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced another round of sanctions against Russia.

They target 10 people who Trudeau says are “complicit in this unjustified invasion” of Ukraine.

“This includes former and current senior government officials, oligarchs, and supporters of Russian leadership,” Trudeau said Monday.

“The names of these individuals come from a list compiled by jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.”

According to the prime minister, the sanctions put increased pressure on Russian leadership, including President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said he welcomes the new sanctions announced by Trudeau on Monday.

“We need to continue to apply as much pressure as possible on Putin where it counts the most, and that’s his wealth,” said Singh.

“That’s why targetting his closely allied and associated oligarchs, seizing and freezing their accounts, that’s a meaningful way for us to apply pressure on Putin to stop this war.”

The new sanctions are in addition to previously announced penalties, including a 35 per cent tariff on goods from Russia and Belarus.

Meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed that that his government, Russian companies and citizens will be paying off international debt in rubles.

As of March 8, $1 CDN = $107.5 Rubles.

A list of “unfriendly countries” has also been complied and it’s made up of countries and territories who are taking “unfriendly actions” against the Kremlin which includes Canada, United States, European Union members, Britain, Japan, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland and of course Ukraine.

Going forward, Putin’s government would have to approve more countries to be added to the list.

Since the start of this conflict on February 24, there have been roughly 2 million people leaving Ukraine to find refuge and safety in other countries.

(With files from Katie Nicholls)

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Credit Cards & Online Content Cut From Russia

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Russian citizens are set to feel more isolation in the coming days especially from the online community.

Criminalizing what he feels is fake news, Putin signed a new bill last week and blocked Facebook and Twitter.

Now on top, of that Netflix is suspending services in Russia. The streamer has said it’s to reflect the circumstances on the ground.

TikTok has also pulled the content plug. App users within Russia will only be able to see older videos made within the country in a “view-only” mode, but they won’t be able to post, see new videos or livestreams.

Mastercard will also cease to work within Russia.

In a statement, Mastercard said that it’s network will no longer be supporting Russian issued cards. If cards were issued outside of the country, they will not work within Russia.

Meanwhile Visa and American Express are making similar moves. They are working to cease all transactions shortly.

All of this, plus international sanctions have pushed the Russian currency of the Ruble down by more than a third. Other companies are selling their stocks or refusing to send scheduled shipments which is pushing up the rate of inflation.

Meantime, people from around the globe are booking Airbnbs in Ukraine with no plans to check in.

The initiative has gained popularity on social media and aims to help put money directly into the wallets of Ukrainians in need of financial assistance.

In just two days, Airbnb’s chief executive Brian Chesky reports on Twitter more than 61,000 nights were booked with about $2.4 million (Canadian) going to hosts.

The home rental company has waived guest and host fees on all bookings in Ukraine.

Social media has become flooded with people posting their support and messages with hosts on Airbnb.

Meantime, Airbnb is also working to donate up to 100,000 homes for Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee amid the Russian invasion.

Airbnb has also suspended all operations in Russia and Belarus.

(With files from Skye Bryden-Blom)

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