‘Speed up the paper process’: Sask. delegation preparing to head to Germany

Terry Dennis and a small group of people are preparing to head to Germany this weekend to meet with Ukrainians who fled the war in their home country.

Dennis is the legislative secretary responsible for Saskatchewan-Ukraine relations.

He said the group will speak to refugees and find out what can be done to help them while they’re in Germany and how the provincial government can speed up the process for those who want to come to Saskatchewan.

“(We’ll) try and speed up the paper process and get them here directly, right into Saskatchewan and start putting them out to families and areas right across our province,” Dennis told Gormley on Tuesday.

Dennis said that in addition to the $335,000 the provincial government put up to have things like housing, health care and daycare ready for people who arrive, the province has also been inundated with citizens and businesses offering help.

“People right around the province (are) offering homes and jobs and food and shelter,” said Dennis.

The provincial government has said it will welcome as many Ukrainian refugees as want to come to Saskatchewan but it’s still unclear what that number will look like or how long they’ll want to stay.

Dennis said the province is looking at all options.

“They don’t even know themselves how long the war is going to be, whether they’re here a month or a year or whether they want to make permanent settlement,” said Dennis.

Dennis and the delegation are planning to work with the Canadian ambassador there, Stephane Dion, and see where things go.