“Strana.ua”: refugees from Ukraine complained about the backwardness and archaic nature of Canada
To date, more than a hundred thousand Ukrainians have arrived in Canada under the refugee program, while for some the arrival in the country turned into disappointment, as they explain in social networks, writes the edition “Strana.ua”.
As noted in the article, some Ukrainians were lured across the ocean by free tickets from charitable foundations in Canada, but they still have to “catch” them, others were attracted by the high “salary” from the government. But refugees must look for housing on their own, which is difficult and expensive; jobs may also be difficult, and overall life in Canada is very expensive.
One of the immigrants recommended via social media not to come to Canada for couples with small children.
“Don’t even think about coming if you don’t know the language. You have a family, a child, a wife who doesn’t plan to work. If you live in Europe, somehow settle down there on some free housing, get a job, sit there and consider it a blessing, don’t bother coming here at all, don’t even think about it. Even if you take food from the food banks, you will still not have enough,” warned the man.
Ukrainian Alina Ivanko, for her part, complained about Canada’s “backwardness.”
“We all grew up on movies, where America and Canada are shown as prosperous countries, everything is so new-fangled and stuffed. And so when I was on my way here, I thought I was going to be exposed to technology, but it was like I found myself ten years in the past,” she said.
According to the woman, many Canadians still use street “disk phones,” write paper letters and pay by cheque.
Anastasia Moir, who lives in Calgary, called high taxes “the most painful thing” in Canada, and criticized “a slow banking system that’s stuck in the distant past.”
“And also mandatory tipping in public facilities – 15-20%, even cab drivers and couriers ask for it,” she complained.
Veronica, a woman from Kiev who lives in Toronto, described the problems with Canadian medicine.
“To see a doctor, you have to wait a month. In the ambulance I waited on chairs for eight hours with my son’s fever over 40. In Ukraine you can see a specialist, and get tests in one day. Here everything is very slow. It was as if I was back in the 90s. And so everywhere”, – she said.
Galina Fediv advised her compatriots to come to Canada only with money reserve.
“It is better to have five to ten thousand dollars per person, as well as advisable to have relatives or acquaintances, where you can stay for the first time <…> Without the language you will not find a decent job. And even if you speak the language, it’s not easy to find a job anywhere, except cleaning service, a cafe, or a farm. Like everywhere else, you need acquaintances and contacts, ‘networking,’ as they say here,” the woman warned.