A Ukrainian family has found a safe haven in the Orillia area after fleeing the war-torn country.
Pavlo Slezinskyi, 31, his wife, Anna, 30, and his four-year-old son, David, were taken in by Anne Belanger and her husband, George, in Brechin earlier this week.
When the war started, Slezinskyi was working as a truck driver and was, at the time, stationed in Poland.
“I called my wife and told her she needs to gather all our important stuff and move,” he said.
Slezinskyi’s family travelled about 60 kilometres to his parents’ house, where they were temporarily safe. The next day, the family was forced to go on the move again, travelling to the Polish border.
“It was dangerous,” Slezinskyi said. “It took more than three days before they could cross the border and they only had limited food and water with them in the car.”
The line to cross the border extended more than 13 kilometres, Slezinskyi says, and a lot of people were travelling on foot with their children and pets. Some volunteers and civilians who lived nearby made food such as soup and pancakes and then distributed them to people through the line.
After three days, Slezinskyi was able to reconnect with his family. When he heard his son had received some food, he broke down and cried.
“We’ve never been in a situation like that,” he said. “When I heard they were OK, it was like a stone was taken off my chest.”
Once Slezinskyi’s family arrived in Poland, they learned of the opportunity to move to Canada if they could find someone who would house them.
“I made the decision to move to Canada,” he said. “I feel that it’s the safest place.”
He is thankful for the government and the people of Canada.
“We are really happy to be here,” he said. “We feel that we have freedom here and, finally, we are safe.”
Slezinskyi is now on a mission to find a job. He is working on obtaining a commercial driver’s licence and will then start applying for work.
For Canadians who would like to help families like the Slezinskyis, he recommends they sign up to host refugee families through icanhelp.host.
“I sent more than 70 messages to many people in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Ottawa,” Slezinskyi explained. “So many people sent me messages and said they were already hosting a family from Ukraine.”
One day, he hopes he and his family will return to their hometown, Lviv, in western Ukraine.
Belanger says she and her family are happy to help the Slezinskyis in their time of need.
“We wanted to help right from the beginning but didn’t know how,” she said. “I read an article in OrilliaMatters about the young woman who came to Orillia, and it spoke to us.”
She says they haven’t been alone in supporting the Slezinskyis. People in the community have come forward to donate money, toys and clothing.
“There is a real need for people to support those who are coming to live here,” she said. “There are so many families who need help.”
