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Plane carrying Ukrainians set to arrive in Halifax on June 2

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Three federal charter flights carrying Ukrainians will arrive in Canada in the coming weeks.

In a news release, the federal government says the flights will depart Poland and land in Winnipeg on May 23, Montreal on May 29, and Halifax on June 2.

“Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced and forced to flee their homes, and these charter flights will help make sure that those who want to come to Canada have the support they need,” said Immigration Minister and Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser in the release.

“We’ll continue to work with provinces and territories, settlement organizations and NGOs to make sure Ukrainians feel at home in their new communities.”

The flights will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to people approved through the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel (CUAET) program.

The government says Ukrainians who have received their visas to come to Canada through the CUAET program will get an email on how to register in the coming days.

Fraser says the chartered flights are in addition to the commercial options available to Ukrainians fleeing the war in their homeland and subsidized by a special fund.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada will provide a place to stay for up to 14 nights to people on the flights who do not already have suitable accommodations arranged.

CUAET was launched on March 17. The program provides Ukrainians and their immediate family members of any nationality the opportunity to stay in Canada as temporary residents for up to three years.

The federal government says, as of May 4, more than 204,000 CUAET applications have been submitted and close to 91,500 applications have been approved.

The government says thousands of Ukrainians have arrived in Canada since Russian forces first attacked in late February, and Fraser says it's unclear how many more will come.

On Monday, 166 Ukrainians arrived in St. John’s from Poland on a plane chartered by the Newfoundland and Labrador government.

The province has been working on the ground in Poland since March to help Ukrainians fleeing Russian attacks settle in Newfoundland and Labrador.

SUPPORT FROM CAPE BRETON

Sergiy Pysarenko is from Kyiv but now calls Sydney, N.S., home. He says, from his experience living there, combined with the area’s rich Ukrainian culture, Cape Breton would be a good place to start a new life.

"The common complaint that you get here, or common wish, is to have more young people,” said Pysarenko. “I'm sure if there is possibility of bringing 300 people, there are many families that would find homes here."

Some members of the Polish community in Cape Breton say they too would welcome Ukrainian refugees. Tom Urbaniak, chair of the St. Mary’s Polish Parish council, says his group has raised more than $20,000 for a city in Poland that is housing Ukrainian refugees.

“In this time of cruelty, in this time of evil, what we're witnessing from these grassroots efforts is hope and humanity, and we want to get behind hope and humanity,” said Urbaniak.

With files from The Canadian Press

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