Here's how newcomers are preparing for their first winter in Saskatchewan

Hundreds of newcomers, including Ukrainian refugees, are preparing for their first winter in Saskatchewan after getting a taste of the snowy season earlier this week.

Andrian Makhnachov, 19, came to Regina from Ukraine in May.

Back home, he likes spending time outside in the winter. But he said he might feel differently about winter in Saskatchewan.

“We don’t have a problem with wind. It’s a really big difference between Saskatchewan and Ukraine,” he said.

“Here it’s like dry, cold wind … but in Ukraine, it’s like warm wind.”

Winter temperatures range from -15 to -20 degrees Celsius in Ukraine, according to Makhnachov. The season usually begins and ends with rain, he said, and the snowy, cold weather only lasts two or three months.

Makhnachov came to Canada without any winter clothes or boots, he said, which is why he asked his TikTok followers for advice in a recent video post.

“People always write me about layers and they always write me you need to buy a special jacket for -35 or -40,” he said.

“In Ukraine, we just go buy a jacket. We don’t have a special jacket.”

Other Ukrainian refugees, like Valentyn Stolirchuk, are already prepared with winter jackets and boots. He said he is excited for the season that reminds him of home, despite the extreme temperatures.

“Canadian winters are so cold. It’s kind of an interesting climate here,” he said.

“I like winter in Ukraine. That’s why I decided to move to Canada instead of the U.S.”

Stolirchuk is helping other Ukrainian refugees make the most out of winter in Canada. He helped organize an event at the Regina Public Library where speakers offered tips on how to prepare for the cold.

The Regina Open Door Society helps hundreds of immigrants and refugees from all over the world adjust to the cold temperatures each year, according to communications manager Victoria Flores.

She said the organization’s settlement services offer tips on how to keep homes warm and get vehicles winter ready. They also help families find affordable winter clothing.

Flores said the advice can be as simple as waking up earlier in the morning to ensure there is enough time to warm up the vehicle, brush the snow off the windshield and get dressed in winter clothing.

“The idea is to help them feel confident to make the best of winter and to make sure they’re ready for extreme temperatures,” she said.

“Those extreme temperatures can definitely be surprising for some people, especially when you add the wind factors.”

Prince Francis found advice from the Regina Open Door Society helpful when he first moved from India to Saskatchewan in August 2021.

“I had never seen snow in my life,” Francis said.

“I was scared initially because we had never seen such drastic weather changes back home, but it has been a fantastic experience since then.”

Besides dressing head to toe in warm clothing, Francis recommends taking vitamin D supplements and always planning ahead.

“If you do use public transport, make sure you keep track of the bus lines, you have contact numbers of cabs in case you do get stuck somewhere, and you just make sure you have someone to take care of you,” he said.