Finalized in December 2021, the Braun family formally adopted three children from Ukraine. But their family journey was about to become very complicated.
Trish Braun, a Manitoba mother, said this was the second time the family adopted from the eastern European country.
“We heard about the needs of the children in Ukraine … We know there are over 100,000 kids in orphanages in that country that need families,” Braun said.
With the adoption finalized, Braun travelled to Ukraine on Jan. 22, 2022, to pick up her children.
“We took them out of the orphanage and found a home to live in. We thought we would be there for six to eight weeks,” she said, but the trip was abruptly cut short in mid-February.
“We thought we had about three weeks left in our process; we did not have passports at the time and we did not have visas at the time. It’s a long process … We got a phone call saying ‘you have an hour to pack your house and kids. There is a driver that will be outside your door,’ and I said ‘why?’”
Braun said she was aware of the ongoing situation between Russia and Ukraine, but didn’t realize it would soon affect her trip.
“On the ground, things felt very normal and our friends there kept saying ‘no, it’s just political, it’s not going to escalate.’ Everyone is feeling normal and we are not changing anything we are doing,” she said. The situation took a turn on Feb. 14.
Braun said she and her three children needed to get their passports and visas to be able to leave the country and the Canadian embassy in Kyiv had already been closed.
“We did not know where we were going to get the kids’ visas from and that was very difficult. We knew we could not leave Ukraine without having the kids’ visas,” she said.
“We found out there was a temporary set-up in a different city for the visa and consular service so we spent eight hours in a car with the children driving to Lviv to apply for their visas.”
Braun said the process was expedited for the family and they received the children’s visas the same day.
“Three hours later we had the kids’ visas in our hands and I said ‘does this mean we can go home?’ And (the woman) said ‘yes, book a flight and go home,’” Braun said.
“We know that we were incredibly fortunate to get out when we did.”
Alysha Buck, chairperson for UAS Eastern European Adoption Inc. board of directors, said the war in Ukraine has brought adoptions processes to a stop.
“We have no choice but to put our program on hold. There is some administrative work we can do but anything that requires the Ukrainian government or Canadian embassy, it’s not happening right now … There are children who are legally adopted who are in Ukraine who can’t get out, who can’t join their families because they don’t have those documents they need,” she said.
“Our hands are tied.”
Buck said since 2004, UAS has facilitated more than 100 adoptions for close to 70 families in Manitoba and throughout Canada.
The organization has three active files that are on hold for its Ukrainian program, and all other families who were in the starting stages have chosen not to pursue adopting through Ukraine because of the war. Buck said most of those families have chosen to pursue adoption through other programs.
“It’s an impossible situation,” she said.
Buck said obtaining visas has been a challenge and she said she would like to see the Canadian government help make the process easier for parents and adopted children.
“Now is not the time for bureaucracy and for worrying about documents, especially related to children who are legally adopted. There needs to be a way to expedite these applications — whether it’s expediting visa applications for unaccompanied minors … or whether we look at waiving the (visa) requirements that need to happen to travel from Ukraine to Canada,” she said.
One B.C. family who was in the process of adopting a teenage girl from Ukraine has issued a public letter asking the Canadian government to waive the visa requirement for Ukrainian citizens and prioritize the entry of unaccompanied minors into Canada who are either displaced by war, or are in danger.
“As a general proposition, of course, Canada can waive visa requirements for Ukrainians entering Canada but whether it can or will do that in respect to adoptions (remains unknown),” said Audrey Macklin, professor with the University of Toronto and Rebecca Cook chair in human rights law.
On Thursday, Canada’s federal immigration minister announced Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel visa for people fleeing the war-torn country.
“For those who need a safe haven while the war ravages their homeland, we are creating the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel,” said Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser.
“There will be no limit on the number of applications accepted under this stream. The primary motivation under this new program is that it offers the fast way to start welcoming as many Ukrainians as possible and will allow them to stay for a period of up to two years.”
Buck said while the new programs will help some, it wont necessarily help children and families who are in the process of adoption.
Global News has reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and asked about adoption-specific options, but has not yet received a response.
Braun said she has been in contact with families who were in the adoption process and offered support.
“We are constantly trying to find ways to help,” she said. “This certainly doesn’t end until the war ends.”
2:33 Many ways Peterborough residents can support and help Ukraine
TORONTO – Hundreds of Taylor Swift fans lined up outside the gates of Toronto’s Rogers Centre Wednesday, with hopes of snagging some of the pop star’s merchandise on the eve of the first of her six sold-out shows in the city.
Swift is slated to perform at the venue from Thursday to Saturday, and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, with concert merchandise available for sale on some non-show days.
Swifties were all smiles as they left the merch shop, their arms full of sweaters and posters bearing pictures of the star and her Eras Tour logo.
Among them was Zoe Haronitis, 22, who said she waited in line for about two hours to get $300 worth of merchandise, including some apparel for her friends.
Haronitis endured the autumn cold and the hefty price tag even though she hasn’t secured a concert ticket. She said she’s hunting down a resale ticket and plans to spend up to $600.
“I haven’t really budgeted anything,” Haronitis said. “I don’t care how much money I spent. That was kind of my mindset.”
The megastar’s merchandise costs up to $115 for a sweater, and $30 for tote bags and other accessories.
Rachel Renwick, 28, also waited a couple of hours in line for merchandise, but only spent about $70 after learning that a coveted blue sweater and a crewneck had been snatched up by other eager fans before she got to the shop. She had been prepared to spend much more, she said.
“The two prized items sold out. I think a lot more damage would have been done,” Renwick said, adding she’s still determined to buy a sweater at a later date.
Renwick estimated she’s spent about $500 in total on “all-things Eras Tour,” including her concert outfit and merchandise.
The long queue for Swift merch is just a snapshot of what the city will see in the coming days. It’s estimated that up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto will be in town during the concert period.
Tens of thousands more are also expected to attend Taylgate’24, an unofficial Swiftie fan event scheduled to be held at the nearby Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Meanwhile, Destination Toronto has said it anticipates the economic impact of the Eras Tour could grow to $282 million as the money continues to circulate.
But for fans like Haronitis, the experience in Toronto comes down to the Swiftie community. Knowing that Swift is going to be in the city for six shows and seeing hundreds gather just for merchandise is “awesome,” she said.
Even though Haronitis hasn’t officially bought her ticket yet, she said she’s excited to see the megastar.
“It’s literally incredible.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
OTTAWA – Via Rail is asking for a judicial review on the reasons why Canadian National Railway Co. has imposed speed restrictions on its new passenger trains.
The Crown corporation says it is seeking the review from the Federal Court after many attempts at dialogue with the company did not yield valid reasoning for the change.
It says the restrictions imposed last month are causing daily delays on Via Rail’s Québec City-Windsor corridor, affecting thousands of passengers and damaging Via Rail’s reputation with travellers.
CN says in a statement that it imposed the restrictions at rail crossings given the industry’s experience and known risks associated with similar trains.
The company says Via has asked the courts to weigh in even though Via has agreed to buy the equipment needed to permanently fix the issues.
Via said in October that no incidents at level crossings have been reported in the two years since it put 16 Siemens Venture trains into operation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
LAVAL, Que. – The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven says it has received a new management buyout proposal from a member of the family that helped found the company, offering an alternative to the takeover bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.
The proposal for Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. is being made by Junro Ito, who is a vice-president and director of the company, and Ito-Kogyo Co. Ltd., a private company affiliated with him.
Terms of the non-binding offer by Ito were not disclosed.
In a statement Wednesday, Seven & i said its special committee has been reviewing the proposal with its financial advisers.
Stephen Hayes Dacus, chair of the special committee and board of directors of the company, said the company is committed to an objective review of all alternatives as it considers the proposals from Ito and Couche-Tard as well as the company’s stand-alone opportunities.
“The special committee and the company board will continue to engage with all parties in a manner designed to maximize value and will continue to act in the best interests of the company’s shareholders and other stakeholders,” he said in a statement.
The company noted that Ito has been excluded from all discussions within the company related to the offer and the bid by Couche-Tard.
Quebec-based Couche-Tard made a revised offer for Seven & i last month after an earlier proposal was rebuffed by the Japanese firm because it was too low and did not fully address U.S. regulatory concerns.
It did not respond to a request for comment about Ito’s offer.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Irene Nattel said the latest development underscored her belief that a Couche-Tard deal with Seven & i is a “low probability event.”
“Assuming attractive pricing and a fully-funded transaction, the potential privatization from a friendly Japanese group would seemingly provide investors with the value creation event they seek,” said Nattel, adding that it would skirt potential competition issues in the U.S. and concerns around the foreign takeover of a core local entity for Japanese regulators.
Couche-Tard has argued its proposal offers clear strategic and financial benefits and has said it believes the two companies can reach a mutually agreeable transaction.
However, the Japanese company has said there are multiple and significant challenges such a transaction would face from U.S. competition regulators.
Couche-Tard operates across 31 countries, with more than 16,800 stores. A successful deal with Seven & i could add 85,800 stores to its network.
Seven & i owns not only the 7-Eleven chain, but also supermarkets, food producers, household goods retailers and financial services companies.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
