Two brothers share why…
Saskatchewan has fast become a haven for displaced Ukrainians, who are scrambling to the province for an experience of the “Canadian dream”.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February this year, the provincial government of Saskatchewan has consistently extended assistance to the war-torn country, allowing displaced Ukrainians into the province.
A fourth flight will be touching down next week from Ukraine to bring more displaced Ukrainians into the province. When it does so, 2,700 Ukrainian citizens will have arrived in Saskatchewan since the beginning of the war, the provincial government reported.
Flight tickets were fully claimed in just four days.
In an interview with larongeNOW, Ukraine-born Oleksandr Makhnachov said the growing popularity of Saskatchewan among Ukrainians was driven by the province’s available temporary housing, well-paid jobs, support services, and relatively cheap rent compared to other parts of Canada and overseas.
“Everybody wants to settle here,” he told the news outlet. “One wrong click [and] you can’t get registration, because there are so many people that want to get in.”
Read more: Ten most affordable places to rent in Canada in 2022
While Makhnachov himself first came to Canada as early as 2017, he moved from Toronto to Saskatchewan only nine months ago. His brother Andrian arrived in May.
While initially unable to settle into the Canadian lifestyle, Andrian quickly turned things around with TikTok videos on Canadian discoveries he had never seen in Ukraine – like washer-dryers in apartments in Regina, where Andrian currently lives.
Read next: Alberta market to enjoy unforeseen growth - report
The popularity of Andrian’s videos among Ukrainian youth has even led the Makhnachov brothers to help create a Facebook group called ‘Canada for Ukrainians,’ which has further boosted Saskatchewan’s popularity among Ukrainian people.
