Nova Scotia – Ukrainian families are grateful for their support after moving to Halifax. Globalnews.ca

When Alex and Julia set off for their honeymoon in Pereplesia Cyprus, little did they know they would never return home, but the day after they took off, Russia invaded Ukraine,

“Our wedding journey was only one day and then it was all very nervous for us,” said Alex Pereplecia.

“Every day we were reading the news, calling our neighbors, our parents fearing for their lives.”

The newlyweds opted not to return to Ukraine, instead buying a return flight to Poland, where they stayed until they learned of an emergency travel visa for Canada.

“We chose to come to Canada because we think now that Poland will actually be the (next) country to be attacked by the Russians because they talk about it a lot,” Alex said.

The couple are among hundreds of Ukrainians who fled their country to Nova Scotia. Some have been brought in on government chartered flights while others have made their way.

Olga Pinda fled Ukraine with her son Vlad, having bought a ticket from Poland to come to Halifax. She says leaving Ukraine was a difficult decision – her husband and parents were left behind – but she decided to leave to make sure her 13-year-old son could continue his education.

“In Ukraine, it is now impossible to go to school normally,” said Pinda.

“Her school was bombed and destroyed.”

Pinda says she has some extended family who live in rural Nova Scotia so she decided to immigrate to the province, but eventually decided to try and settle in Halifax hoping for better job prospects.

“I try to find something that matches my past experience,” she said.

“I work in marketing, in communications, in advertising.”

After finding a job, the next challenge will be finding housing, but for now, Pinda is grateful that she has found a host who has taken her and her son.

“It’s a nice place, very warm and welcoming,” she said.

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Marilyn Sidney is among hundreds of Nova Scotians who have provided food and shelter to Ukrainian families, and helped them settle.

“It was my daughter who first suggested it,” said Sidney, who lives alone.

“It seemed like a good fit, I’ve always hosted foreign students through St. Mary’s (pre-pandemic).”

Sydney says that it was nice to have Olga and Vlad at her house. They like to play cards together, and she says it’s easy for the two to get along.

“I love it,” she said.

“(Olga) is a wonderful cook. I tried borscht for the first time and I enjoyed it.

No other hosts in HRM

Several Ukrainians and host families have been linked through a volunteer-led Facebook group, Hosts for Atlantic Canada Ukrainians.

The group was created by New Brunswick resident Carol Ailes.

“I started it because I couldn’t find anywhere that I could be a host in New Brunswick so I wanted to do something to help.”

The page has grown to over 11,000 members and helped hundreds of Ukrainians join hosts in Atlantic Canada, but demand has remained most popular in urban areas.

“We have exhausted our hosts practically everywhere with public transport,” said Ales, who encourages Ukrainians to consider living with hosts in more rural areas.

But Halifax remains a popular destination for many Ukrainians who want to live in a bigger city. Without hosts, this means many people have found accommodations elsewhere, which can be a challenge.

“We know it’s a difficult situation with rentals here,” said Alex Pereplecia.

He and his wife are still looking for long-term housing, but say they have been fortunate to find support in the meantime.

“Our first place where we were staying, I found him on Couchsurfing,” Alex said.

The couple sent a message an hour before the flight to Halifax and received a response when they landed.

Alex said, “He told us, ‘Yeah, of course I can host you, just a moment, I’ll clean your room.

His host picked him up at the airport and allowed him to stay for a few nights.

“It was 11 o’clock in the night (when we arrived), so late but without any problem, they decided to help us.”

After that, the couple hired an Airbnb and then sought help from ISANS and YMCA. Both organizations helped keep him in a residence in Dalhousie for five weeks.

“It’s a nice room,” said Alex. “So now we have time to look for some rentals.”

The couple is also looking for jobs as they look for rentals, and plan to take English classes at the YMCA in the fall. In Ukraine, Alex was a lawyer and his wife worked in finance, but the couple say they are open to any job opportunities here.

With the war going on in Ukraine, those who immigrated to Canada are concerned about their families back home. While some, like Olga and Vlad, are hoping to return when things calm down, others, like Alex and Julia, are looking to settle permanently in Canada.

Both pairs say they are overwhelmed by the generosity of Canadians and their willingness to help.

“It’s amazing, a country as big as Canada is so sweet to immigrants,” Alex said.

“We haven’t seen the same thing about immigrants in other countries.”