5th flight of Ukrainians touches down in Queen City

A plane full of Ukrainians landed at Regina airport on Monday. 230 people are fleeing the war in their home country, and were warmly welcomed by Minister Jeremy Harrison and the Saskatchewan Government. (Gareth Dillistone / CTV News)

The fifth and final flight of displaced Ukrainians touched down in the Queen City on Monday on a direct flight from Poland.

The series of flights marks the largest humanitarian effort organized by the Government of Saskatchewan in recent years, bringing refugees to Canada from war-torn Ukraine.

In August of 2022, the province signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Argentinian aircraft owner Enrique Pineyro to bring a total of five flights to Saskatchewan by the end of March.

The Saskatchewan government says immigrants from Ukraine helped to settle the province more than 100 years ago and that 15 per cent of our current population has Ukrainian ancestry.

Many of those descendants have now opened their hearts and their homes to these newcomers. The new arrivals are here on a three year visa, which allows them to live and work in Canada.

Jeremy Harrison, minister of immigration and career training, said there would be paths to permanency for those who want it.

“For those who wish to permanently relocate, we’re going to work to make sure there’s a clear path, a defined path for people to be able to do that,” he said.

The government says there is no limit on number of people from Ukraine who will be welcomed to the province. More flights are possible, but none are currently planned.