Town of Kindersley works on plan to support Ukrainian nationals

By Joan Janzen

Ukrainians are coming to Canada to escape the crisis in their country. When they arrive, many will be seeking employment, and Rod Perkins, Mayor of Kindersley, and his staff are working on a plan to help in that endeavour.

Mayor Perkins said, as he’s watched the situation over the last month, he thought our community could help in some way. “I saw what was going on, and it’s getting worse,” he said. “We had many refugees who came over here in the 1920s and settled in various areas of Saskatchewan, making it successful.” Now, he felt it was an excellent opportunity to help employ refugees fleeing from a harmful situation.

He reviewed the process employers would go through in order to apply and realized businesses in Kindersley that are in need of workers would be able to help out some of these families and, in return, gain long-term employees.

“Every time I talk to businessmen in town, everyone is having trouble getting employees. So, it’s a pretty good fit; Ukraine has a lot of agriculture which is exactly what Saskatchewan has,” Mayor Perkins said. “We’re trying to get it out there, regarding how to get people here, but it’s not as simple as one would think.”

The Government of Canada Job Bank offers assistance for employers who want to support Ukrainian nationals in Canada with a job. The employer creates an employer file and then creates and saves a job posting before submitting it to the Job Bank. Ukrainians let the Job Bank know that they are a Ukrainian national looking for a job in Canada.

“On one hand, we can help people,” Mayor Perkins said. “On the other hand, as a community, we can be a winner in attracting workers to town. It’s a win-win situation, but it won’t be easy. It will probably be one family at a time.”

He also noted the possibility of a language barrier, although the younger generation seem to know some English. He also stressed that this would be a community effort, as many refugees have very few possessions.

The best way for employers to proceed is to apply directly on Canada’s Job Bank. So far, more than 9,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since January, after their applications were expedited. Canada is allowing an unlimited number of approved Ukrainians to find refuge in Canada for three years while they decide their next steps.

“It won’t be easy, but if we don’t try, we won’t get anywhere,” Mayor Perkins concluded.

If you’re not an employer but wish to help in some way, a list of organizations that will send support to Ukraine is available online at ucc.sk.ca