'Have to stand up': Dozens gather at Surrey, B.C., rally in support of Ukraine

Dozens of people gathered Sunday at a Surrey, B.C., park holding Ukrainian flags and signs calling for peace and expressing solidarity with the country.

The gathering was organized by One Voice Canada and it was held at Holland Park. It aimed to bring together people from all backgrounds.

"The news gets worse and worse as the days go on," said Annie Ohana, an organizer of the event. "A lot of people have a lot of fear. I'm a teacher, a lot of students are concerned, and we really have to stand up in terms of showing this aggression is not right."

Surrey City Coun. Brenda Locke, who is of Ukrainian descent, also attended the rally.

"I can tell you that certainly the residents of Surrey, but residents all over the world are so behind you. They love you, they are concerned for you," she said, speaking to the people of Ukraine.

"We all have to stand in solidarity against this regime."

A gathering was also held in downtown Vancouver over the weekend, drawing hundreds of people to Jack Poole Plaza. That event was attended by Mayor Kennedy Stewart, MLAs and the president of the Vancouver chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress. 

Many in that crowd spoke of difficult conversations with friends and relatives trapped in cities amid a relentless Russian bombing campaign that frequently targets residential neighbourhoods.

“I have friends who I talk to constantly who are waking up at 5 a.m. because of the bomb sirens,” said Oleh Feday, a Canadian born in Ukraine.

“They say it’s quite frightening to wake up and not know if your building will be whole after the day.”

As of Monday, Russia had announced another limited ceasefire and the establishment of safe corridors to allow civilians to flee some besieged Ukrainian cities. But those evacuation routes led mostly to Russia and its ally Belarus, which drew criticism from Ukraine and others. 

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ben Miljure and The Associated Press 

Get in touch

Are you in Ukraine? Do you have family in Ukraine? Are you or your family affected? Send us an email.