Former Alberta politicians join forces, gather supplies for Ukraine crisis
Posted Mar 20, 2022 4:03 pm.
Last Updated Mar 20, 2022 5:01 pm.
A pair of former Alberta politicians are teaming up to help with the Ukraine crisis.
Thomas Lukaszuk and Ed Stelmach couldn’t sit by and watch what was happening in the country so they have arranged for a plane to deliver up to 35 tonnes of supplies.
The plane will then fly to Poland, where the supplies will then be brought to Ukraine.
FRIENDS, I need your HELP!!!
Ed Stelmach and I could not sit and watch Ukrainians suffer. With amazing corporate support, we’re shipping humanitarian aid, medical & firefighting equipment. Now we need your donations of goods. Please contribute and retweet.#yeg #abpoli #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/tu9AXEfX2J— Thomas A. Lukaszuk (@LukaszukAB) March 18, 2022
For Lukaszuk, the situation in Ukraine hits close to home.
“I lived through martial law in Poland so I know what it’s like for tanks to be rolling in compliments of Russia,” he told City News, pointing out that it’s also personal for Stelmach who is a proud Ukrainian.
Lukaszuk says he contacted the Canadian Embassy in Warsaw to learn what supplies are needed in Ukraine.
“There’s a need for first aid, medications like painkillers, dry food. There’s a need for personal hygiene items, diapers both for children and seniors, feminine hygiene products, things of that nature.”
He says donations of those items have been pouring in and someone also donated some warehouse space for everything to be stored until the flight later this month.
Lukaszuk says the airline donated the plane for the cause and Shell is covering the cost of re-fuelling it when it lands.
The hope is to fill the plane with needed supplies.
“We need first aid, medication, pain killers, dry food. There is need for personal hygiene items, diapers for both children and seniors, feminine hygiene products, things of that nature… nothing liquid,” said Lukaszuk.
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He says the plane will land in Edmonton on March 28 with donations being collected until then.
Lukaszuk says once they decided to do this, they then needed a way to get the items to Ukraine so he made a cold call to Polish Airlines LOT, which doesn’t even fly to Edmonton.
“Instead of asking me how crazy I am the COO said, “what kind of an airplane do you need’.”
When Lukaszuk told him how much they had gathered and how many items were anticipated, he says the COO offered the airline’s biggest plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
He says the flight was donated by the airline but they were asked to provide the fuel for the flight once it landed in Edmonton.
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Lukaszuk joked that his Costco card couldn’t handle that cost so he made some more calls and Royal Dutch Shell offered to fuel the aircraft, donating 50 tonnes of jet fuel.
However, Lukaszuk says there is hope that this is more than just a supply delivery.
“I am now working with our Canadian Embassy in Warsaw because this plane will be flying empty from Warsaw to Edmonton and I am hoping to fill it with Ukrainian refugees as well so that is something I am working on right now.”
Once the items are on the ground in Warsaw, Lucaszuk says they have a warehouse secured near the airport where the goods will be stored before being driven to the Ukrainian border by Polish truckers.
Anyone who wants to donate can drop items off on Monday and Wednesday at the Polish Hall in Edmonton.
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The plane is expected to land in Edmonton on March 28th where it will stay for 24 hours before taking off again for Poland.
Lucaszuk says donations have been coming in from across the country, some people are mailing items in while others are doing online orders and having them delivered to the warehouse.
Anyone in Calgary looking to donate can contact Ukrainian parishes who are collecting items to send to Edmonton.
He stresses that because everything needs to go through customs, only solid items can be accepted; no liquids adding, people should not donate any clothing, especially used clothing.
Anyone wanting to make a donation can drop something off at a Ukrainian church.
