Ukrainians who fled war and settled in London, Ont., area reflect on how life has changed

Liubov Zamorska led a completely different life two years ago. She worked as a law professor at a university in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and lived in her house with her three children.  

But everything changed in the days following Feb. 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. The war has forced Zamorska and millions of other Ukrainians to upend their lives and flee the country.

Zamorska, 40, is among the over 200,000 people from Ukraine who've settled in Canada. She lives in London, Ont., with her nine-year-old son and works as a law clerk at the Lerners firm downtown.

Rebuilding their lives from scratch hasn't been easy, she said.

"I came here and had to start my life from zero. Back home, I had a house, I had my life, family and friends. But when I came here, I didn't have anyone else. Everything here in Canada is absolutely different from Ukraine and it was all new for me."

Zamorska's two older children are still in Ukraine, along with her parents. Although she tries to have multiple phone calls with them every day, navigating the time difference on top of a busy work schedule while raising a young child has been challenging, she said.

Alla Shevchuk was welcomed with open arms while starting a new life in Strathroy. The mother of three wanted to give back to the community, so she started Alla's Ukrainian Pierogies Inc., which has grown in popularity in the small town west of London.  

"I thought about how I can practise my English language and how I can be useful to this town because so many people opened their hearts to me and I wanted to share my culture with them," said Shevchuk, 42.

Since arriving in Canada in late 2022, Shevchuk has also built a support group for about 20 other Ukrainian families who moved to Strathroy after fleeing the war, along with volunteering for various community organizations. 

Shevchuk spent five hours a day taking newcomer English courses. She said although she's grateful she overcame language barriers, leaving a comfortable life in Ukraine wasn't something her family ever anticipated. 

"Life [before the war] was amazing. My husband and I had a travel business and we never thought about immigrating somewhere else because we had everything we needed."

The adjustment process for her elementary school-aged kids was tough at first, but they've fit right in with their neighbourhood and school and love their life here, Shevchuk said. 

'My life has changed dramatically'

When Oksana Vintoniak, 32, fled the war with her toddler son Matei and her mother, she didn't expect the war to continue for this long and with no end in sight.

"My life has changed dramatically," she said. "Everything is kind of upside down because we were living in our country, raising our child and working, then all of a sudden we had to stop doing it and think of how to find a safe place for ourselves."

Vintoniak used to teach English as a second language at a private school in Lviv. She has a similar job at the London District Catholic School Board. Still, adjusting to life in Canada has been difficult. 

"When I came to Canada, my son was only two years old years old, so we had to find a daycare spot, which was next to impossible, and finding a job also took time so it was difficult to multitask all that while keeping track of the situation in Ukraine."

The home of Vintoniak's grandmother was recently bombed, and although she's physically safe, the situation is taking a toll on her mental health, Vintoniak said.

Rally to commemorate war anniversary

All three women are thankful for the support they've received in their new communities, but their hearts remain with those in Ukraine. They don't want Canadians to forget the people who are suffering the effects of the war. 

"I'm really happy to be here and be in a safe place so my younger son has opportunities to study here, but it's terrible what we have now in Ukraine, and unfortunately, day by day, it's getting worse," said Zamorska. 

On Saturday, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress is holding a national rally to mark the second anniversary of the start of the war. In London, the event will start at 2 p.m. ET at Victoria Park.

"We want to remind people that the war isn't over. There is incredible suffering going on over there when people are losing their homes, their lives, having their families disrupted," said Ola Nowosad, an organizing member of the group's London chapter. 

"We want to remind people that this is still a crisis and that we have appreciated the Canadian support, so we want to thank people and ask them to continue to stand with Ukraine."