Five Ukrainians, who were among a plane-load of people who arrived in St. John’s this week, are already in Happy Valley-Goose Bay to settle into their new home.

Lake Melville MHA Perry Trimper welcomed the new arrivals Tuesday evening and flew with them back to Labrador with free tickets compliments of PAL.

Trimper says the families have been through a lot and are grateful to be in a safe environment.

He says one woman, Tatiana and her son, have been “attacked twice.” First, they had to move from the eastern portion of the country to Kyiv and then again to Poland.

He says another family recently moved into temporary housing at the base in Goose Bay. He welcomed one family into the home he and his wife keep in St. John’s, which is a condo. He says it’s not big, but the new arrivals were delighted with the space, having been used to much more cramped circumstances.

He says when the family walked in, they opened up their arms because they had spent the last six to seven months in an apartment in Krakow that was home for eleven people with one washroom and people sleeping on the floor.

Thanks @PALairlines for this final leg of a long journey to their new home in @Town_HVGB #SlavaUkraini pic.twitter.com/P0ycZUgtsa

— Perry Trimper (@PerryTrimper) December 7, 2022