A century ago, Catherine Mack’s ancestors emigrated from Ukraine to Canada. Today, Mack, a 56-year-old real estate agent, lives in Oshawa with her 22-year-old son, Zack. When war broke out in February, she posted an offer to host a Ukrainian family in her three-bedroom bungalow. Several weeks later, four strangers moved in.The day the war started will stick in my mind for the rest of my life.
Yana told me she wanted to bring her children to Canada to offer them a better life. She had a successful career in IT back in Ukraine and wanted to find work in the GTA. We had a video call on Telegram—I barely knew a word of Ukrainian, but Yana could speak in broken English. She seemed innocent and trustworthy. And yet, there was still a part of me that wondered, “Is this for real?” Friends warned me about scammers and said I needed to be extra careful. But I decided to go with my gut.
Zack and I spent the next 24 hours scrambling to buy and assemble four beds in our rec room, which was the only spare space big enough to fit the entire family. I also bought everything I thought they’d need: clothes, shampoo, deodorant, toys. It’s been wonderful to see Oleh and Vika settle in. Oleh has always wanted a dog, and I own two: Jesse and Riley, both Brittanys. Yana didn’t tell him, so that it would be a surprise when they arrived. Oleh and the dogs have become inseparable ever since. I’ve also made sure the kids have tons of toys. I took Oleh and Vika to a dollar store, gave them each a cart, and told them they could load it up with anything they wanted.
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She didn't open her house to dark skinned refugees.