'It's a scary thing': Saskatoon Ukrainian community concerned over brewing conflict
Iryna Matsiuk says the news coming from Ukraine is troubling and concerning.
"This is not something you think is real, but then the war comes and knocks on your door,” said Matsiuik, with the Ukrainian Canadian Congress of Saskatoon.
Russia has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine's border, demanding that NATO promise it will never allow Ukraine to join and that other actions, such as stationing alliance troops in former Soviet bloc countries, be curtailed.
Matsiuk is one of the speakers at a virtual town hall Tuesday featuring Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Matsiuk hopes to push for support and highlight the concern for those in Ukraine.
“The safety of families and friends, because if something starts happening, what do we do, there will be millions of people displaced again."
Canada has already imposed a lengthy series of sanctions related to Russia dating back to 2014 when its military forcibly annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
That 2014 conflict is on the minds of Rostyk and Olesya Hursky who moved from Ukraine to Canada in 1992 and 2001 respectively.
They have three children born in Canada and say, they are raising them to be proud of their Ukrainian heritage.
When they watch the political unrest unfolding in Ukraine, a country that Rostyk Hursky says has never left his heart, it is troubling.
With family still in Ukraine, the escalation with Russia hits home.
“It’s a scary thing because as a parent you think what would you do in that situation,” Olesya Hursky told CTV News.
She still has close ties to Ukraine, the couple founding a non-profit organization called Stream of Hopes that sends supplies and money to orphans in Ukraine.
She says she’s talked to friends in Ukraine.
“It’s constant pressure and depressing potentially getting bombed any day and even figuring out where the nearest bomb shelter is and what you’d take with you,” Hursky said.
They’re part of the nearly one and a half million Ukrainian Canadians living in Canada.
They’re thankful for the help governments like Canada have provided, but fear it’s only the start.
“Now is enough, but for God’s sake and things escalate, that’s when I think people of Ukraine will need support and help,” Rostyk Hursky said.
With Canadian Press and Associated Press files
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police in Texas waited 48 minutes in school before pursuing shooter
Students trapped inside a classroom with a gunman repeatedly called 911 during this week's attack on a Texas elementary school, including one who pleaded, 'Please send the police now,' as nearly 20 officers waited in the hallway for more than 45 minutes, authorities said Friday.
'I don't deserve this': Amber Heard responds to online hate
As Johnny Depp's high-profile libel lawsuit against ex-wife Amber Heard wound down, Heard took her final opportunity on the stand to comment on the hate and backlash she’s endured online during the trial.
Three Canadian cities rank among the world's best for work-life balance
A new report says Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto rank among the top 20 cities around the world when it comes to work-life balance.
New federal firearms bill will be introduced on Monday: Lametti
Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino will table new firearms legislation on Monday, according to his colleague Justice Minister David Lametti. In an interview with CTV's Question Period that will air on Sunday, Lametti pointed to the advance notice given to the House of Commons, and confirmed the plan is to see the new bill unveiled shortly after MPs return to the Commons on May 30.
She smeared blood on herself and played dead: 11-year-old reveals chilling details of the massacre
An 11-year-old survivor of the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, feared the gunman would come back for her so she smeared herself in her friend's blood and played dead.
102-year-old veteran wins campaign for Dutch citizenship after a 70-year wait
For 70 years, Andre Hissink has held a grudge against the Dutch government, but this week, the 102-year-old Second World War veteran’s persistence paid off – the Dutch king granted his wish for a rare dual citizenship.
Canada raids emergency stockpile to send medical equipment to Ukraine
Canada has tapped into its own strategic stockpile of emergency medical supplies -- stored for a national emergency -- to help Ukraine. It has donated over 375,000 items of medical equipment and medicines from Canada's strategic stockpile since the invasion by Russia began.
'Died of a broken heart': Can it really happen?
Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as 'broken heart syndrome' or stress-induced cardiomyopathy, is an actual medical condition triggered by severe emotional or physical stress and is different from a heart attack.
Jury deliberations begin in Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial
After a six-week trial in which Johnny Depp and Amber Heard tore into each other over the nasty details of their short marriage, both sides told a jury the exact same thing Friday -- they want their lives back.
Regina
-
Western Premiers' Conference focuses on healthcare funding from Ottawa
Premiers from western Canada met to discuss healthcare in their first face-to-face meeting in more than two years in Regina on Friday at the 2022 Western Premiers' Conference.
-
Sask. family's eviction from home cancelled after accounting error discovered with rent
A Regina family facing homelessness will not be evicted from their government-owned rental unit after it was discovered they owed more than $1,000 in back rent.
-
Edmonton man facing more than 100 charges related to alleged mail theft: Regina police
An alleged mail theft and identity fraud has resulted in more than 100 charges for a 42-year-old Edmonton man, according to the Regina Police Service (RPS).
Winnipeg
-
47-year-old man killed in Dugald Road crash: Winnipeg police
Winnipeg police are telling people to find an alternate route this afternoon as they are investigating a fatal crash near the St. Boniface Industrial Park.
-
'Mom, you gotta carry on': 58-year-old Winnipegger inspired to graduate high school by late son
Fifty-eight-year-old Vivian Ketchum is set to receive her high school diploma at a graduation ceremony at the University of Winnipeg next month. It is a moment that is decades in the making.
-
Melted: trailer carrying cheese catches fire on Trans-Canada Highway in Manitoba
Manitoba RCMP said nobody was injured after a semi-truck hauling cheese on the Trans-Canada Highway caught fire Thursday night.
Calgary
-
Calgary Humane Society rescues 5 dogs from hot car
Temperatures are rising in Calgary and workers who help make sure pets are kept safe from harm say residents need to be aware of the risks that come with the change of seasons.
-
Coyote attack on dog and owner prompts partial closure of Fish Creek Provincial Park
Alberta Parks has closed a section of Fish Creek Provincial Park in the city's southeast after aggressive coyotes attacked a dog and its owner.
-
'No way we’re cheering for the Oilers': Flames fans react to Game 5 loss
Calgary Flames fans are still coming to terms with a playoff series loss to the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night in a game that saw both controversy and heartbreak following a Connor McDavid overtime goal.
Edmonton
-
Shooting near Rogers Place playoff party witnessed by EPS officers
A 19-year-old man is in police custody after a shooting near Rogers Place after an Edmonton Oilers viewing party ended Thursday evening.
-
Golden shovels break ground for 6-year Valley Line West construction
Ground was officially broken on Edmonton's Valley Line West LRT route on Friday.
-
Alberta starts $1.4B highway construction season amid labour shortage, rising fuel costs
The province officially started or resumed work on 300 highway projects Friday – worth a total of $1.4 billion – but a shortage of workers and the high cost of materials will have an impact.
Toronto
-
Video shows police using helicopter to track down carjacking suspects
Police have released a video showing the arrest of two suspects who allegedly stole a Mercedes – the latest in a string of armed vehicle thefts that has prompted police services in the Greater Toronto Area to create a carjacking task force.
-
Here's why you may notice unusual activity around Toronto Pearson Airport this weekend
Toronto Pearson International is warning travellers and Mississauga residents they may notice unusual activity at the airport this weekend.
-
Wild video captures moment tornado touches down in Uxbridge, Ont.
New video has emerged showing the moment a tornado touched down in Uxbridge, Ont. over the weekend, ripping the roof off a local brewery.
Ottawa
-
Hydro Ottawa 'will not meet' commitment to restore power to bulk of grid by Friday night
As of Friday afternoon, 29,000 Hydro Ottawa customers remain without power in all neighbourhoods of the city.
-
Principal leaving Orleans French Catholic high school two weeks after dress code blitz
The principal of a French Catholic high school in Orleans is leaving the school this week, two weeks after students said a dress code enforcement "blitz" left them feeling degraded and humiliated.
-
Ottawa sees drop in COVID-19 hospitalizations heading into the weekend
Ottawa Public Health is reporting 15 Ottawa residents in hospital because of an active COVID-19 infection on Friday, down from 17 on Thursday.
Vancouver
-
Double stabbing at Vancouver apartment sends women to hospital
Vancouver police are investigating a double stabbing they say happened at an apartment building in Kitsilano Friday morning.
-
Someone left an 'explosive device' on the side of the road in West Kelowna
Mounties say a suspicious device found on the side of a road in West Kelowna Thursday was, in fact, an explosive.
-
Firefighters frustrated after 'many cars' drive over supply hose during Vancouver fire
Multiple drivers ran over a firefighting hose in South Vancouver on Friday, impacting an already tense effort to douse the flames at a two-alarm house fire.
Montreal
-
Supreme Court rules Quebec City mosque killer to be eligible for parole in 25 years
Canada's highest court has ruled that Alexandre Bissonnette, who murdered six people at the Quebec City mosque in 2017, will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
-
Hydro-Quebec gears up for 'very big weekend' in attempt to restore power to 30,000 homes
Hydro-Quebec is still struggling to restore power to tens of thousands of homes left without electricity, six days after deadly storms hit in Quebec and Ontario.
-
In backlash to the backlash, Bill 96 leads to flurry of talk on Quebec separatism
Quebec Premier François Legault may not have expected quite this type of fallout from Bill 96, but he found himself hammered by questions on Thursday -- about Quebec independence.
Vancouver Island
-
NEW
NEW | B.C. speedboat driver arrested with 650kg of meth 'feared for his family's safety,' he told U.S. investigators
New details are emerging after a 51-year-old Alberta man was arrested aboard a speedboat that U.S. authorities say was carrying 650 kilograms of methamphetamine between Washington state and British Columbia.
-
DEVELOPING
DEVELOPING | Mill Bay mall fire closes Trans-Canada Highway lanes
At least one building was destroyed Friday afternoon as firefighters rushed to a large fire at the vacant Pioneer Square Mall in Mill Bay, B.C.
-
RCMP seek missing dog, truck stolen in Langford
West Shore RCMP are on the lookout for a missing dog that was inside of a truck when it was stolen from the Langford area on Thursday morning.
Atlantic
-
More than 18 hours to find five N.S. mass shooting victims was 'deficient': lawyer
A lawyer for families of victims killed in the Nova Scotia mass shooting says an 18-hour delay in finding five bodies of those murdered is a sign of "deficient" policing.
-
Who was driving this car near the scene of a double-homicide in 2019? N.B. RCMP want to know
The RCMP is trying to determine who was driving a car near the scene of a double-homicide in Dieppe, N.B., in September 2019.
-
'We just want to stay': N.S. family struggling to find affordable home may be forced to leave the province
A Nova Scotia family may be forced to leave the province due to the lack of affordable housing units on the market today.
Northern Ontario
-
Sudbury duo honoured for Totten Mine rescue efforts
Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM) has honoured two people from Sudbury for their rescue efforts during last year's rescue at Totten Mine.
-
Sudbury man charged with luring, assaulting victim under the age of 16
A 54-year-old man is facing several charges in Sudbury, including sexual assault, following an investigation triggered by reports someone was trying to traffic a victim under the age of 16.
-
27-year-old man carrying air rifle near Toronto elementary school shot dead. What we know so far
There’s an increased police presence around four Toronto schools this morning after a 27-year-old man walking the nearby streets with an air rifle was shot dead by police on Thursday.
London
-
LPS seeking public's assistance after gun fired in downtown London overnight
The London Police Service is requesting the public’s help with locating a person of interest after a gun was fired on Richmond Row in the early morning hours of Friday.
-
London man facing impaired driving charges after SUV collides with gravel truck
A London man is facing impaired-related charges after a vehicle he was driving collided with a gravel truck on Wednesday morning, according to police.
-
74-year-old 'sparkplug' earns national volunteer award
Pat Clifford is the engine that keeps the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Goderich, Ont. running — and it’s for those reasons the soon-to-be 75-year-old has earned the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.