Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
A Ukrainian family says the agony of the war in Ukraine was made worse by what they call "impossible" requests from Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), including a demand for their daughter's birth certificate just days after she was born in the bomb shelter of a maternity hospital in the ravaged city of Chernihiv.
Serhii Levchenko is sharing his family's harrowing journey exactly one week after eventually landing in Toronto with his wife and two daughters. A third daughter was already away, studying in Moncton, N.B.
Most men Levchenko's age are banned from leaving Ukraine to participate in the war effort. But fathers with three children or more -- or those with medical exemptions -- are permitted.
In the hours before March 6, when baby Sophie was born, Levchenko and his wife, Anna, were forced to separate: she was at the maternity hospital and he was stuck at his apartment with his four-year-old daughter Alisa.
That's when his neighborhood was being battered by Russian bombs.
"It felt like a horror," Levchenko said.
He immediately grabbed his daughter.
"I just covered her because in that period the bombing was huge. Just praying that it's not going to pass to our building."
Anna had heard about the attack but had no way of getting through to her husband.
"Up to the morning, she doesn't know if we were alive or not," Levchenko said.
Phones had to be shut off at night so they could not be traced by Russian intelligence.
She immediately suspected the worst.
Fortunately, they survived, but the family says they weren't ready for the next battle: coming to Canada.
They had already started the process, but needed a visa for baby Sophie, born in a war zone. The family says Canada demanded a birth certificate for the child.
Thousands of kilometres away in Toronto, Nick Zotkin – originally from Ukraine - and his partner, Rob Esselmont, heard about the Levchenkos’ struggles through an online network and immediately jumped in to help.
"How a birth certificate can be issued when she gave birth in a shelter?" said Zotkin.
Zotkin and Esselmont, who have already spent $20,000 of their own money, are working on their own time to bring a total of 17 Ukrainians in seven families to Canada, and describe the bureaucracy as "a nightmare."
"The right hand does not talk to the left. And it's so infuriating," Esselmont said.
"It's like a circle," Zotkin added.
Serhii Levchenko is sharing his family's harrowing journey from Ukraine after eventually landing in Toronto with his wife and two daughters.
Inside their condo in what they call their "mini immigration office," the couple has hung passport photos of the families they are trying to bring to Canada.
"It makes you feel insignificant. Like these people don't mean something. And they do," Esselmont said, pointing to the picture of the Ukrainians he wants to help.
"They're still sitting, sitting and waiting to get here. We have a job for her. We have a place for her to live. Her son created this shirt," he adds, explaining that the child created the artwork for a T-shirt fundraiser the couple started to help Ukrainian families.
CTV News' Omar Sachedina speaks to Rob Esselmont and Nick Zotkin, who are working to help Ukrainians come to Canada.
While most of the people Esselmont and Zotkin are trying to support are still waiting abroad, the Levchenkos are trying to start a new life in Canada before Serhii, who is a seaman, has to leave for Japan at the end of the month.
The family spent two months collecting the necessary paperwork, travelling to five different countries on their way to Canada. Most recently they were in Istanbul, Turkey waiting for baby Sophie's visa.
Zotkin knew an Airbnb host there who offered a cut rate on an apartment. The issues around the baby's birth certificate were eventually resolved, allowing the family to come to Canada.
Serhii said the journey to Canada would not have been possible without the support of the two men he didn't even know.
And now, he says he has the freedom to dream again, explaining that one day he would like to have "a big house with a swimming pool, nice business... up to the end of our days" in Canada.
But in the short term, there will be other priorities: baby Sophie.
Serhii says at just two months old -- born three days after his birthday -- his daughter symbolizes the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
"She's a warrior," he said.
"The kids who were born in this period, I think this is the strongest people in the world."
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
As the month-long boycott of Loblaw-owned stores wears on, small independent food retailers and alternative grocery options say they're seeing a boost in traffic and sales.
One person has died aboard a London-Singapore flight that encountered severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines said Tuesday. The plane was diverted to Bangkok, where emergency crews rushed to help injured passengers amid stormy weather.
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
As we enter another wildfire season, Environment and Climate Change Canada is advising people to pay attention to air pollution levels and check the Air Quality Health Index – especially on smoky days.
The Vatican has announced that the investigation it commissioned into allegations of sexual touching against Cardinal Gerald Cyprien Lacroix did not confirm any act constituting misconduct or abuse on the part of the Vatican.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Philadelphia today, on his first trip south of the border since his government launched a new 'Team Canada' charm offensive in the United States.
The Edmonton Oilers weathered a late Vancouver Canucks charge on Monday night, beating the hosts 3-2 to win their seven-game second-round playoff series in the decisive showdown.
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Catching 'em all with impressive speed, a 7-year-old boy from Windsor, Ont. who only started his competitive Pokémon journey seven months ago has already levelled up to compete at a world championship level.
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.