Canada Day means something different for everyone.
For Ukrainians who were able to flee from Russia's invasion into the country, Canada has become a safe haven.
Celebrating their first Canada Day are Mariia Lysak, her daughter, Alisa, her brother, Viacheslav Borovyk, and his wife, Dariia Dr yhailo, who have been living in North Bay for more than a month now.
"We decided that must leave. We took a train, a car and walked. We stayed at the Poland border nearly 11 hours in the night and it was snowing and cold. I don't know how we did it," recalled Mariia.
The two families are from a small village in the northeast of Ukraine called Opishnya.
"Every day it gets more and more worse. Now women are getting into the war," explained Dariia. "Our president wrote some of the commands and soon women will be soldiers."
As thousands of Ukrainians fled to the west towards Ukraine-Poland border when Russian forces advanced, humanitarian aid worker John Best was there setting up an emergency field hospital in Ukraine. Best was there for Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian charity organization.
"I got a bird's eye view of the struggle that is going on," said Best. "I see the people. I see the emotional drama that's happening."
When that work ended, he was set to fly back when he met a Ukrainian family moving to Meaford, Ontario. They told him about a social media page helping Ukrainians escape, called “Canada - Host Ukrainians”.
When he got home, Best and his wife knew they wanted to shelter refugees looking for a more rural life. He met Mariia online and then about just over a week later, picked them up at Pearson International Airport and brought them to his home, saying that's what Canadians do.
"We are a hospitable country. Let's extend a hand to those who are reaching out that need a hand," he said. "That's who we are. That's who I am."
As Canadians dress in red and white and celebrate their native country Friday, Ukrainian refugees in Canada like Dariia and her extended family are celebrating in their own way, saying to them Canada represents freedom, happiness and safety.
The two families are hoping the conflict ends soon as they want to eventually return home.
While the future is unknown, for they're happy to be in a country free from war.
"It's so important and I think Canada can be the country of the future," she smiled. "Here is a such a safe territory," concluded Dariia
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.