Over 40 visitors, most from Ukraine, sat inside the Venture Norfolk building in Simcoe on Wednesday morning set to explore Ontario’s Garden and see some of the job options on the table.
In conjunction with the Newcomer Centre of Peel, and Venture Norfolk, Norfolk County welcomed a group of immigrants currently based in the GTA (most displaced due to conflict in Ukraine), toured sites in Norfolk searching for employees in welding, labour and trades, wine making, restaurant management and wait staff, farm help, truck driving, and more.
Speakers, with the help of a translator, welcomed the guests to the area that they may one day call home before they were off on a bus tour visiting locations like Unilever, Toyotetsu, and Titan Trailers.
That was Chris Garwood, Economic Development Supervisor in Norfolk.
He said everyone is trying to turn a bad situation around and make it something positive – both for the people of Ukraine seeking employment and the county.
Garwood noted that most of the individuals are from Ukraine but some are new immigrants taking part in the collaborative partnership between Newcomers Centre of Peel and Venture Norfolk.
We we able to speak with some of the people touring the county, like Elvira Bozhani.
In Ukraine, she at one point was the Editor in National News Channel before she held her most recent job as Communication Manager for Minister Of Health.
She lived in Kyiv, but a gut feeling may have been a life saver as she decided it was time to leave the capital in February.
This was not only a good move for Bozhani, but also beneficial for many other people.
She said she then started getting calls from strangers and became a point of contact for many different people looking for help.
But, as the war dragged on, she realized there was not an end in site and she could be more helpful abroad.
The opening comments were beginning for the meeting at Venture Norfolk, so we went out into the hall to continue to speaking to Bozhani regarding her decision to leave Ukraine.
When it comes to why she was taking part in the tour, she said she wants to be informed and wants to have all knowledge possible to pass on to friends and family back in Ukraine.
We also have the opportunity to talk to Haris Khan.
Khan met his wife and lived in Ukraine for the past twelve years – having two kids along the way.
He has a Bachelors Degree in Software Engineering, and was working in Ukraine as a Consultant.
Like Bozhani, he lived in Kyiv but was still there when the bombs first fell.
He then told us about his incredible journey out of Kyiv, where the kindness of strangers helped him and his family escape.
He said the goal was to move to an English speaking country, but they had to spend a lot of time in Poland and Germany before he could eventually make it to Canada.
This was a hard time, as he struggled with language barriers there waiting for approval.
Now that he is here, he is looking for a place to call home – and the tour isn’t just showing him job opportunities but a potential new life with his wife and children.
During the conversation, he was often smiling and upbeat, saying that it is important to have optimism during these times.
With the partnership, even before the tour started, 3 individuals were hired on locally.
Garwood told us that this isn’t the first partnership with Newcomers Centre of Peel and Venture Norfolk and they look forward to continuing to showcase Norfolk as a warm and welcoming place for everyone moving forward.
Those on tour also got to enjoy a bit of the fun side of Norfolk, with a wine tasting provided courtesy of Burning Kiln Winery.