Syrian refugees welcomed to Canada return the favour to Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion
CBC
This week marks the 11th anniversary of the start of the Syrian civil war.
Looking back at more than a decade of war, many members of Manitoba's Syrian community are painfully reminded of its effects as they witness the devastating invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops.
In 2021, 80,000 refugees were resettled in Canada, with approximately 2,500 of them resettling in Manitoba, according to Immigrate Manitoba.
Joseph Chaeban is a refugee from Lebanon. He came to Canada in 1988. He owns Chaeban Ice Cream with his wife Zainab Ali and partner Darryl Stewart.
Chaeban says the moniker of Friendly Manitoba is true — Winnipeggers didn't hesitate when he asked for help in bringing his wife's family, who are Syrian refugees, to Winnipeg.
"I just said, 'My wife's family needs help,'" Chaeban said.
"They brought three families to Canada and it was a total of 13 people. They gathered over a $150,000 for them. It's like seeing angels."
When asked about Ali's reaction to Canada preparing for an influx of refugees from Ukraine, he fought back tears.
"It brings back my memories. I wish it doesn't [happen as it did with] the Syrian war."
Maysoun Darweesh, the program co-ordinator at migration and resettlement at the Mennonite Central Committee of Manitoba and the executive director of Kurdish Initiative, a non-profit aimed to help support refugees, says in the last 11 years, the Syrian community has gone from feeling excitement and fear from being newcomers, to feeling resilience and gratefulness.
"I always like to use hope as a big word to represent how Syrians feel and live on a daily basis," Darweesh said.
She says refugees who came as children are now grown, with goals of pursuing more education. Many adults now have their own homes, a drivers licence, and are continuing their study of the English language.
"For them, this is their country now. This is their final destination."
Darweesh says the start of the Ukrainian invasion was painful to the community, bringing the tragedy of the Syrian civil war to present-day Canada. She says the community condemns the Ukraine invasion.
Much of Newfoundland is digging out of a blustery and messy day as another storm slams into the island.
Timiskaming—Cochrane MPP John Vanthof recalls the meeting in Thunder Bay earlier this month. He was part of the nine-day road trip along Highways 11 and 17 with other NDP MPPs.
A bill before the Nova Scotia Legislature is proposing raising the age limit for support for young people who have been in the foster care or group home system to 26.
The Fredericton Police Force has reallocated funds so new staff can be hired this year to better manage evidence after a police error upended murder cases against five people.
One of two pilots killed in a plane crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport Sunday earned his wings at an Ontario college, CBC News has learned.
Air Canada passengers who were aboard Flight 8646 when the CRJ-900 aircraft struck a fire truck upon landing at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday evening say the collision was sudden and forceful, and they may owe their lives to the pilots who died in the incident.
Cardiac services are set to expand at a Winnipeg hospital once regarded as one of the best in Canada for heart care.
A 26-second TikTok video has ignited a larger conversation about vulnerable populations, theft and content creation.
Some family doctors and emergency room physicians working in Edmonton hospitals warn that an April 1 end to stipend pay arrangements could put patient care at risk and increase suffering.
An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.
Six years after e-learning became a mandatory requirement to get an Ontario high school diploma, students don't appear to be taking online school to diversify their course selection as the province had intended, according to a CBC News analysis of provincial enrolment data.
Sarnia City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday morning to respond to social media comments made by Coun. Bill Dennis, who criticized city spending on a new mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne as “virtue signalling by woke politicians” — then made a series of comments in response to a reply from Aamjiwnaang Chief Janelle Nahmabin that some have characterized as unprofessional and aggressive.
While many Albertans continue to feel the pinch at the pump, Premier Danielle Smith says the government is not considering any fuel tax breaks, as it does not believe it will make much of a difference.