About a month ago Saskatoon’s sister city in Ukraine had a population of about 260,000 and since then the city of Chernivtsi has swelled by approximately 150,000 people.

Jason Aebig, CEO of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, says there is urgent need of food and shelter and medical care. A group of Saskatoon business leaders, with the relief effort being coordinated by Saskatoon Firefighters, is hosting a fundraising luncheon next Wednesday.

Aebig says the list of needs is substantial including things like diesel generators, high pressure hoses, water purifiers and high capacity tents. Some of the items will be procured in Canada and transported to Ukraine by CFB Edmonton however there are items on the list which will be purchased in Ukraine and then firefighters in Canada will arrange with firefighters and first responders in Chernivtsi.  In addition he notes there is the Mayor-to-Mayor relationship with the two municipal governments communicating and coordinating.

There are three avenues for support: if someone wants to simply make a donation there is a GoFundMe page set up; if you want a receipted donation that can be coordinated through the website uniteforukraine.ca and of course money is being raised simply through the purchase of tickets to the luncheon. Those can also be purchased at the website. Aebig says this is also s an opportunity, after two years of pandemic, for networking in the community with a delicious Ukrainian meal, some entertainment and messages of support.