Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven
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Tim Hortons Donation to displaced Ukrainians arriving in Canada under the ‘Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel.’
Introduction
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. As of November 28, 2023, a total of 210,178 individuals have arrived in Canada under CUAET.
This report is also available in PDF format.
Recognizing Canadians’ generosity and the interest expressed by Canadian businesses in supporting Canada’s response to the crisis in Ukraine, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) launched the Canadian Industry for Ukraine donation portal in early May 2022 so that Canadian businesses can provide offers of high-priority goods and services to support displaced Ukrainians and other displaced people in need who are making Canada their home. Donations that are received through the portal, are actioned by Operation Ukrainian Safe Haven – Opération havre de paix pour les Ukrainiens (OUSH-OHPU) by working with provincial/territorial coordinating partners, and re/settlement service providers across the country.
This report elaborates on the donations management process as guided by OUSH-OHPU’s Corporate Donation Manual, allocation and distribution of donations informed by data along with impact stories from the ground.
Distribution Process
On December 7, 2023, Tim Hortons donated a generous $10,000 in gift cards (2,000 gift cards of $5 denominations) for distribution to displaced Ukrainians and other displaced people in need across provinces. Additionally, the partner business donated 520 printed copies of the book ‘A Nest in the North’ that celebrates the core values of kindness and welcoming all.
OUSH-OHPU worked with ten provincial and territorial coordinating partners to allocate and coordinate the donations (see Annex 1 for Corporate Donation Process Map). To ensure equity between provinces and territories, donations were allocated based on available data including Financial Assistance data from Employment and Social Development Canada which provides percentages of displaced Ukrainians who applied for financial assistance in each province or territory. In coordination with the provincial and territorial partners, the settlement agencies distributed the donated items to displaced Ukrainians in their communities.
Provincial and Territorial Coordinators, alternatively known as Provincial Territorial Hub (PT Hub) 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 PT Hub coordinators, convening biweekly meetings at the PT Hub Coordination Table. The table plays important role in implementing a collective response to support displaced Ukrainians in Canada.
The table below illustrates the allocation process for Tim Hortons gift cards which is based on the Financial Assistance from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
| ESDC Financial Assistance (%) | AB | BC | MB | NB | NL | NS | ON | PEI | QC | SK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (data from October 1, 2023) | 21.28% | 10.04% | 10.45% | 1.74% | 1.38% | 2.33% | 39.91% | 0.14% | 9.83% | 2.85% |
| Total | 426 | 201 | 209 | 35 | 28 | 47 | 798 | 2 | 197 | 57 |
Distribution Visualization
OUSH-OHPU has created an interactive map for Tim Hortons to visualize where gift cards were distributed. Following the shipment of gift cards to provincial and territorial coordinating partners, these partners then proceeded to distribute the cards to the pertinent settlement agencies in their respective provinces. Settlement agencies across various communities in Canada then took charge of distributing these gift cards to displaced Ukrainians and other individuals facing displacement and in need across the country.
In total, 2,000 gift cards were distributed to displaced Ukrainians throughout the country:
- By 48 settlement agencies in all Canadian provinces.
- In 35 different cities/communities.
- Approximately 2,000 individuals benefited from those gift cards.
Additionally, 520 books- ‘A Nest in the North’- were distributed as below. Given the increased interest in having additional books, Tim Hortons also shared the digital version of the book for further distribution and use by the sector.
| Provinces | BC | MB | ON | SK | YK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of books | 40 | 150 | 250 | 30 | 50 |
The Impact "in their words..."
These stories showcase a variety of perspectives: hearing from displaced Ukrainians themselves, from the volunteers lending a hand, and the settlement workers coordinating donations on the ground.
Due to financial limitations, the videos are not professionally produced; however, they will be shared on OUSH-OHPU’s online platforms, including web and social media. Given the sensitive nature of Russia’s full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine, we offered participants the opportunity to refrain from revealing their identities.
This video is intended to give donors a further sense of the impact of corporate donations in supporting displaced Ukrainians, including the reach of the donation.
Recognition and Communications
OUSH-OHPU disseminated the news of this generous donation across its social media platforms (LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram).
The mentioned social media posts were further amplified by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
X/Twitter
EN: https://twitter.com/canadabusiness/status/1733224790461157603
FR: https://twitter.com/entreprisescan/status/1733224560130933017
EN: https://www.facebook.com/231128162381368/posts/733081715519341
FR: https://www.facebook.com/248574377304453/posts/771625198332699
EN: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7140055465031335938/
FR: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:share:7140055313101070337/
Instagram Stories
EN: https://www.instagram.com/stories/cdnbusiness/
FR: https://www.instagram.com/stories/entreprisescdn/
Additionally, the OUSH-OHPU National Steering Committee recognised the Tim Hortons contribution during its biweekly meeting where around 100 representatives from Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments, Settlement Sector and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress convene to link resources and bridge communications for a successful collective response to supporting Ukrainians in Canada.
Thank you, Merci Tim Hortons! ДЯКУЮ!
OUSH-OHPU, the Government of Canada, the provincial and territorial coordinating partners, as well as the settlement agencies would like to join their voice to those of the displaced Ukrainians to thank Tim Hortons for their generous donation and the impact it had in the lives of displaced people in need. Дякую!
Corporate Donations Process Map
