And he may have finally found that respite in northern Ontario. Iovych is one of many Ukrainian refugees who have settled in Sudbury following a mass exodus from Ukraine during the Russian-led invasion in February. Iovych said that while many refugees are in larger urban centers such as Toronto, she chose Sudbury, despite knowing little about the community or life in northern Ontario.
“Part of the reason they came here is that they understand that Sudbury is not a huge community,” said translator Sonia Peczeniuk. “It’s not like Toronto… and what he said in advance was that Russia took their lives. “So they want to come to a community that is basically peaceful and safe and where they can learn English and their child can learn English and integrate into our society here.” Iovych left Ukraine with her nine-year-old daughter, stopping in Warsaw and Toronto, before a distant cousin linked her to Jasmine Rovinelli – a host family in Sudbury. The family hopes to stay in the community, at least until the end of the fighting in Ukraine. The call for help, Rovinelli said, came as a bit of a surprise, even to her. “When the war first started, I do not know why, but I just felt compelled to do something. “I can put a roof over your head, but that’s it,” Rovinelli said. “For anything else, I can not help you. We are not rich. We do not have a big house. But it can house you.” Rovinelli posted twice on Facebook, offering temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees, but received no response. The third time ended up being the charm, he said. “After two posts, I got nothing. I turned around and thought, ‘Do I? Am I wasting my time? “I did not know”. Rovinelli’s husband gave her enough motivation to keep trying. “He told me, if you want to do it, just do it. So, I dropped this third post.” Within 10 minutes, Rovinelli said, Lana Rudenko, Iovych’s distant cousin, reached out. “He said, ‘I have a mother and a daughter who are in Ukraine right now and they are looking to leave.’ You can help;”

Safe, but starting from scratch

So far, Pecneziuk said, life for Iovych is now like starting from scratch. “When he was in Ukraine, he had a great career,” Pecneziuk said, referring to Iovych’s career as a psychologist and a large social media audience. “You know, life was very good. There were future prospects. “But you have to appreciate that when you come here … and you do not know English and all your future prospects are shattered because it is not going to be the same. Then it’s very, very painful.” Pecneziuk said the challenge for Iovych would be to understand English and see life return to normal. “He is very anxious because he knows he has to find a way to get a job,” Pecneziuk said. “She does not speak English, which, you know, is stressful for her. It is difficult to communicate. “Most importantly, her whole life and career and her education were fully channeled into becoming a psychologist. And it was very, very successful. “And now she knows that what was important to her in terms of her career, she can no longer have it, but she has to look for whatever job she can to survive.” But even as the war pierces her homeland endlessly, Iovych hopes one day she can return. “She would like to return; her nine-year-old really wants to return,” Pekneziuk said. “You have to appreciate how beautiful the country is. All her friends and everything she grew up with, everything she knows is familiar, is there.” As for the others who arrived in Sudbury with similar stories, Pecneziuk said the goal would be to connect and hopefully integrate into the wider Canadian community. “He is looking for opportunities where he can socialize with other people who are experiencing the same experience, the Ukrainian-Russian diaspora,” Pecneziuk told Iovych. “So then it will be easier for her to communicate and for people to support each other.”