Northern College will help Ukrainian refugees continue their studies

Northern College, already no stranger to welcoming foreign students, has a plan in place to welcome at least 10 Ukrainian students.

"We certainly can handle more, but we also know Citizenship and Immigration has to process these and have some semblance of a paper trail as they bring people in," said Dr. Audrey Penner, president of Northern College.

"That number is there as a purpose of getting started. It’s not an end number by any means."

Penner said the college will be providing application, tuition, housing, work permit and career advising supports to help with relocation.

"I’m not aware of any actual applications yet, however, I am aware of a couple of industries in town who’ve said that they have Ukrainian families visiting them and people will be looking for work and looking for follow-ups," she said.

"Our doors are open. Let’s get the conversations going and make sure that we can help."

Northern College joins other Ontario colleges in providing aid to Ukraine. A number of schools have collectively donated $200,000 to UNICEF to help provide safe water and medical services.

Other colleges such as Cambrian, Canadore and Boreal are also stepping up to help refugees with bursaries.

Officials with the Timmins and District Multicultural Centre said any refugees who find their way to Timmins will need additional support.

"One of the basic things they need is English as a second language and French as a second language as well," said Ifeoma Kasinamwuna, local immigration partnership co-ordination with the Timmins and District Multicultural Centre.

"Language support is very critical and then we also see housing needs. We all know how the market is right now for renting and buying."

Kasinamwuna said people from other countries usually come to Timmins because they already have some kind of connection here. She said it's important for the centre and its partners to be ready for people when they do arrive.