‘Why am I crying? I’m in Canada’: Georgina resident collecting medical supplies for Ukraine

Georgina denounces attack on Ukraine, establishes sanctions against Russia

yorkregion.com
Amanda Persico
March 15, 2022

In the days following Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, Andrea Siutra found herself safe from conflict, but crying.

“Why am I crying? I’m in Canada,” said the Georgina resident, holding back tears.

Images of the war-torn country flooded the news, with family members unaccounted for.

“All I can see are the children and think of their futures,” said Siutra, an early childhood educator (ECE) in York Region.

“Ukrainian kids are being taught to make Molotov cocktails to throw at the Russian army. I can’t imagine kids in my class doing that.”

The Ukraine-Russia conflict runs deep in her veins -- her grandparents were forced to leave their home in Ukraine during the Second World War.

“They came here with nothing, hoping for a better life,” Siutra said. “Fast forward to 2022, history is repeating itself.”

She turned to social media, asking for medical supplies. And the town -- with a small Ukrainian community of less than 1,400, based on 2016 census numbers -- rallied with boxes and boxes of urgently needed medical supplies.

“Messages flooded my social media page, as if they were yelling at me to do something,” she said.

“It’s a huge ask for a small community. Ukraine needs the world, right now. They need Georgina.”

And the supplies keep coming. Each day, there’s a new collection of medical supplies left on her porch in Keswick.

Each week, Siutra drives a carful of much-needed medical supplies, such as bandages, gauze, individual first aid kits, duct tape and medical gloves, to depots across Toronto, where Help Us Help is working with volunteer medical units already on the ground in Ukraine.

Unopened, unused medical supplies can be dropped off at the large Ukrainian flag on Churchill Lane in the Willow Beach area.

“I’ll be doing this for months,” Siutra said. “This is my heritage, my culture, my blood.”

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has displaced more than one million people, and the United Nations Refugee Agency estimates up to four million could flee the country.

Canada is home to one of the largest Ukrainian diaspora populations outside of Russia, said Jennifer Hyndman, York University professor and an expert in human displacement, humanitarian emergencies and refugee settlement.

“Diasporas like this one shape political response,” Hyndman said. “The Canadian government has taken unprecedented measures to support the Ukrainian people through military support, economic sanctions and migration pathways to Canada.”

Georgina is adding its voice to the federal response, introducing its own set of financial sanctions against Russia.

Ward 1 Councillor Mike Waddington brought forward a motion calling on the town to “unequivocally denounce Russia’s unjustifiable war against Ukraine” as well as to discontinue purchasing any products, such as plywood, fertilizer, steel or machinery, from Russia.

“The only thing required for evil to triumph is the inaction of those who claim to be good,” he said, noting the world remained relatively apathetic when Crimea was invaded nearly a decade ago.

“We can’t do that again.”

Ethical consumerism is a way to get the point across, he added.

While Georgina’s municipal sanctions may not hit the Russian economy heavily, the hope is for other municipalities in Ontario and around the world to impose similar restrictions, Waddington said.

“The hope is that Russia will (find) themselves isolated ... and realize the choices they are making will have consequences they might not have expected.”

Residents can also help support the Canadian Red Cross efforts to aid the Ukrainian humanitarian crisis through Popcorn for Peace, where $5 from every RJ’s “World Famous” Popcorn bag will be donated to the cause.

RJ’s “World Famous” popcorn bags can be found at Vince’s Market in East Gwillimbury and Newmarket; Sobeys Sutton; Queensway Marketplace in Keswick; Ben’s Pharmacy in Sutton and Beaverton; Foodland in Mount Albert; and Your Independent Grocer in Beaverton.

Keswick’s Elpida Café and Roastery is also hosting a #EveryoneHasARightToPeace cake pop fundraiser, where all proceeds support Plan International’s Ukrainian relief fund.