Manitoulin Island business owner helping Ukrainian families come to Canada

A motel owner on Manitoulin Island is working to help refugees from Ukraine settle and work in Canada.

Vera Kuminov came to Canada seven years ago from Israel. After living in the GTA for three years, Kuminov bought the Huron Sands Motel in Providence Bay with her business partner.

"I love the community, I love the nature, I love everything about it pretty much," she told CTV News.

When she saw the devastation in Ukraine, she joined groups on Facebook and connected with people in border communities looking to come to Canada.

"When I started I said if I can help five families I’ve done my part," Kuminov said.

"But it grows big, the demand and the supplies so from both sides ... I have no idea where it's going to go."

She has been connecting with local businesses and residents to set up housing and employment for two women -- Yulia Donskova and Yulia Zelenko – and their children. Also coming to Manitoulin is a 61-year-old woman and another couple.

Kuminov said there are challenges that need to be addressed for the refugees to succeed here.

"I think in the northern areas the challenge is if you host someone, you need to offer a job and most of the people are coming without any English," she said.

"So whenever a host comes to me and says OK, I could host someone in my house, my first question is what can they do there? Is there any work? Because people that are coming don’t look to just sit in the house and wait. They really want to work.”

A glimpse of the situation the newcomers are leaving behind can be seen in a statement Donskova and Zelenko sent to CTV. It read, in part:

"Everything changed on Feb. 24. We spent two days and nights under air alarms, cannonades and explosions. The husband of Yulia Zelenko insisted on urgent evacuation from Kyiv. We packed in 10 minutes because the sirens were unstopping.

"We left for Yulia Zelenko's parents' home in the Cherkassy region and stayed there for a month. The sirens went off more and more often. Planes and rockets flew over us in the direction of Kyiv. Many women and children started evacuating abroad. Our husbands told us we should do it, too.

"We know that it will be hard, but we don't develop illusions and are not afraid of difficulties. We want to become part of Canada and give our children a happy life; they are our future.

"We didn't know what city to go to and created a post in a Canadian Facebook group. And thank the Lord God, we were contacted by Vera Kuminov. She took us under her care and made us a proposal that we were thrilled about - the island of Manitoulin. We have studied the information about it and realized that will be a wonderful place for us and our children.

"We really want to come soon. The children are so impatient, we are waiting to meet our new friends. To see the beauty of Canada, of Manitoulin Isle. To feel safe.

"But now we are still in Warsaw, Poland. We have undergone biometry, sent our documents in for visas, bought tickets (and already had to exchange them for a later date), but have been waiting for our documents for two weeks now.

"We wait and hope that soon we will be with you. Looking forward so much to our meeting.”

For those looking to help Kuminov, can contact her by clicking here.