Chartered flight carrying 170 Ukrainians lands in Moncton

A flight carrying 170 Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country arrived at the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport on Tuesday.

The newcomers flew from Poland to Ireland and then arrived in Dieppe, N.B., to open arms and smiling faces.

"Everything is coordinated in a sense of, they get registered, we have homes for them to go to," said New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs.

"They have other homes that are built in, or through a hotel. And then we have a Medicare card, they're registered for that. There's financial assistance that's set up for them for two weeks and we'll carry on from there. Either we'll have jobs for them to go into, but we'll make sure that they're well looked after."

Once inside the airport, the newcomers -- many of them young families -- were greeted by members of the Ukrainian Club of Moncton and several local support organizations.

Olha Oliinyk said the flight was long, but she and her family felt very grateful for the warm welcome.

"We have a big sore in our heart because everyday we remember about our country Ukraine and the terrible situation. Here, we're feeling very, very warm. Very warm people," said Oliinyk.

Most of the Ukrainians who arrived will start their new life in Moncton, Saint John or Fredericton. Oliinyk said her family plans on staying in Moncton long-term.

"I come here with my family, my little girl, she's three years old, my husband. We plan to work and live here," she said.

Each Ukrainian who came off the plane received a package containing supplies and helpful tips on how to get their lives started in Canada.

Three planeloads of Ukrainians have landed in Canada over the past month, but this was the first to land in New Brunswick since the Russian invasion.

The other flights were federal charters, while Tuesday’s flight was chartered by the New Brunswick government.

Roughly 300 Ukrainians have arrived in New Brunswick since January.

Last week, a federal charter flight carrying more than 300 Ukrainians landed at the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

A federal charter flight carrying 328 Ukrainians arrived in Winnipeg on May 23 and another brought 306 Ukrainians to Montreal on May 29.

Ukrainians arriving in Canada are able to apply for a one-time, non-taxable financial assistance benefit from Ottawa, which gives $3,000 to each adult and $1,500 for each child under the age of 17.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says, from March 17 to May 25, it received just over 259,000 Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) applications, and more than 120,000 have been approved.

New Brunswickers who are interested in becoming a host family can contact [e-mail] to be connected to the nearest settlement agency.