Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven
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As part of the Government of Canada’s resolute support to Ukrainians, the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET) was introduced in March 2022 to support the people of Ukraine by offering Ukrainians a temporary status and ability to work, study and stay in Canada until it is safe for them to return home. Between March 17, 2022, and April 1, 2024 a total of 298,128 individuals have arrived in Canada under CUAET.
Additionally, recognizing Canadians’ generosity and the interest expressed by Canadian businesses in supporting Canada’s response to the Russia`s full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) launched the Canadian Industry for Ukraine donation portal in early May 2022. The program enables businesses to donate high-priority goods and services, and funding to support displaced Ukrainians and other displaced people in need who are making Canada their home.
This report elaborates on management of the donation from Canada Goose as guided by Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven – Opération havre de paix pour les Ukrainiens (OUSH-OHPU) Corporate Donation Manual, the allocation and distribution of donations informed by data, along with impact stories from the ground.
This report is also available in PDF format.
On May 7, 2024, Canada Goose made a generous donation of 2284 parkas, jackets and accessories to support displaced Ukrainians and other newcomers with immediate needs. The donation with total value of approximately $526,635 CAD was distributed to displaced Ukrainians and other newcomers with highest needs in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec.
OUSH-OHPU worked with five provincial coordinating partners to allocate and coordinate the donation (see Annex 1 for Corporate Donation Process Map). To ensure equity between provinces, the donation was allocated based on available data including Financial Assistance data from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) which provides percentages of displaced Ukrainians who applied for financial assistance in each province. In coordination with the provincial partners, the settlement agencies distributed the donated clothing items to displaced Ukrainians in their communities.
Provincial Coordinators, alternatively known as Provincial/Territorial coordinators, play a key role as essential sector partners. They contribute significantly to needs assessment, provincial allocation, and the seamless distribution of donations within their respective provinces. OUSH-OHPU maintains a close collaboration with provincial coordinators, convening biweekly meetings at the Provincial Coordination Table. The meetings play important role in implementing a collective response effort to support displaced Ukrainians in Canada.
The table below illustrates the allocation process which is based on the Financial Assistance from ESDC in each province indicating percentages of displaced Ukrainians in the provinces, to ensure equity in the allocation between provinces and territories.
ESDC Financial Assistance (%) | AB | BC | MB | ON | QC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
(data from October 1, 2023) | 21.28% | 10.04% | 10.45% | 39.91% | 9.83% |
Canada Goose Clothing items - 2284 | 484 | 233 | 288 | 1085 | 194 |
Our Approach: Together with its provincial coordinating partners, OUSH-OHPU ensures Canada Goose’ generous donation is directed towards meeting the urgent needs while taking into account accessibility for the intended clients.
Regular meetings were held with the donor to coordinate logistics. A weekly meeting with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and ISED was established from February 1, 2024, to April 4, 2024, to ensure proper governance of this donation. The donor and the settlement sector were eager to process the donation in a fast manner. To ensure an efficient process, ad hoc meetings were conducted one-on-one with five provincial partners from January 26 to February 5, to coordinate provincial logistics. As a result, 2,284 clothing items were distributed to individuals in 15 different communities.
Meeting the urgent needs.
The Canada Goose donation was utilized to address the urgent needs of displaced Ukrainians and other newcomers with highest needs in Canada. To facilitate an impactful distribution, the donor was requested to ship the donated clothing items to cities with highest number of arrivals which included Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal. The provincial partners, then, shipped the items to the following cities and communities:
Ensuring accessibility.
To facilitate clients’ access to the donation, the donation was distributed by service provider agencies that work closely with the intended clients.
In total, 2,284 clothing items were distributed:
The table below shows the agencies selected for distribution:
Province | Approx. dollar value | # of items | # of allocated items | Service provider agencies |
---|---|---|---|---|
Coordinating Agency | ||||
Alberta | $112,035.19 | 484 | 95 | Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) |
Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (AAISA) | 95 | Centre for Newcomers | ||
31 | The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) | |||
95 | Catholic Social Services (CSS) | |||
31 | St. Stephen Protomartyr Ukrainian Catholic Church | |||
33 | Catholic Social Services in Red Deer | |||
18 | Town of Vegreville | |||
31 | The Calgary Bridge Foundation For Youth | |||
31 | Immigrant Services Calgary | |||
10 | Catholic Social Services in Lloydminster | |||
14 | Hosting Ukrainians in Fort Saskatchewan | |||
British Columbia | $53,845.03 | 233 | 233 | CANN SUCCESS (reception centre at Vancouver International Airport) |
Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC (AMSSA) | ||||
Manitoba | $66,559 | 288 | 7 | Manitoba Possible |
Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO) | 71 | Immigrant Centre | ||
74 | Canadian Muslim Women’s Institute | |||
15 | Hospitality House | |||
16 | Naomi House | |||
10 | Westman Immigrant Services | |||
10 | Regional Connections | |||
25 | Accueil Francophone | |||
Ontario | $249,448.20 | 1085 | 208 | COSTI Immigrant Services (CSS) |
Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) | 225 | COSTI Immigrant Services (hostel Services) | ||
18 | Jewish Immigrant Aid Services (JIAS) | |||
68 | Newcomer Centre of Peel (NCP) | |||
104 | The Neighbourhood Organization (TNO) | |||
462 | CUIAS Immigrant Services | |||
Quebec | $44,747.88 | 194 | 194 | Centre social d’aide aux immigrants (CSAI) |
Centre social d’aide aux immigrants (CSAI) |
With the support of provincial partners, and direct service providers, OUSH-OHPU produced a video with testimonials to provide insight into the impact by the donation. Although the videos are not professionally produced due to financial limitations, we are proud to include them on OUSH-OHPU’s online platforms. Given the sensitive nature of Russia’s full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine, we offered participants the opportunity to refrain from revealing their identities.
OUSH-OHPU announced the donation through a press release
Additionally, the OUSH-OHPU National Steering Committee recognized the Canada Goose contribution where around 100 representatives from Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments, the Settlement Sector and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress convene to link resources and bridge communications for a successful collective response to supporting Ukrainians in Canada.
OUSH-OHPU also posted messages of recognition on its social media platforms, which were re-posted by our government partner, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
LinkedIn:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6rnaIcvHo5/?igsh=b3JoeDliZDQ4emlr
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6rnaIcvHo5/?igsh=b3JoeDliZDQ4emlr
X (Twitter):
https://x.com/OUSH_OHPU/status/1788002145926619312
https://x.com/OUSH_OHPU/status/1787945523619467612/photo/1
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=420229254104004&set=pb.100083507972936.-2207520000&type=3
Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven – Opération havre de paix pour les Ukrainiens (OUSH-OHPU), the Government of Canada, provincial and territorial coordinating partners and settlement agencies would like to join their voices to those of the displaced Ukrainians to thank the Canada Goose for their generous donation and the impact it has had in the lives of displaced people in need. Дякую!