New Pathway.
Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Manitoba Provincial Council (UCC-MPC) informs that, on January 4, 2016, at the Provincial Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger along with UCC-MPC President Oksana Bondarchuk and Hon. David Chomiak announced that the Province of Manitoba is donating three ambulances for humanitarian Ambulances for Ukraine project. UCC-MPC is donating funds to cover the costs of a fourth ambulance.
According to UCC-MPC, the Council's president Oksana Bondarchuk said: “The Ukrainian Canadian community in Manitoba is grateful to the Province for making this donation of important medical equipment to Ukraine. In a short time, these vehicles will be in Ukraine, transporting wounded servicemen and injured civilians from the conflict zone so that they can receive treatment.”
Oksana Bondarchuk added, “We are extremely happy that because of the generosity of Manitobans of all backgrounds, UCC-MPC had funds in place which allowed us make a contribution of one ambulance to the project. It is symbolic that this announcement is coming just before January 7th which is Ukrainian Christmas,” added Oksana Bondarchuk.
According to CBC News artcle dated January 4, 2016, Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger said in a statement that “Manitobans have a special bond with the people of Ukraine, and we stand with them during this crisis and in their time of need.”
The donation is part of Ambulances for Ukraine, a humanitarian project aimed at helping those affected by ongoing violence and civil unrest in the country. “The ambulance project is a practical way Canadians, and in particular, the Ukrainian Canadian community, can help,” said Selinger (http://www.cbc.ca/).
John Holuk, the project manager with Ambulances for Ukraine, said the move to send emergency medical vehicles to the area followed calls on the international community to provide care for victims of violence in eastern Ukraine (CBC News).
“The second phase will expand the focus to meet the needs highlighted by the United Nations and World Health Organization, where the continuing conflict has deprived many communities [of] access to basic medical care,” Holuk, who is also a member of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress Ukraine Appeal, said in a statement.
CBC News also says that Saskatchewan and Alberta have already donated ambulances.
According to CBC News, Selinger said that both provinces previously sent ambulances that have by now been used for more than 100 emergency trips.
In a news piece of January 4, 2016, Winnipegfreepress.com informed that the province is also contributing $40,000 to help maintain the vehicles while the UCC assumed the cost of shipping the vehicles overseas.
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