Dismayed by the war that is troubling their family and their compatriots, Quebec entrepreneurs of Ukrainian origin Eric and Peter Boyko join forces to launch an initiative aimed at facilitating the arrival of Ukrainian immigrant workers in Canada and their integration.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
Co-founder and big boss of the Montreal supplier of music services Stingray, Eric Boyko maintains that nearly twenty Quebec companies are participating in the project, from Bombardier to Alimentation Couche-Tard, via CAE, Coveo, Resolute Forest Products, Pomerleau, Novacap, Broccolini, 5N Plus, National Bank and others.
These companies have confirmed, he says, that they each want to sponsor up to 80 families affected by the crisis by offering them jobs and livelihoods while they wait for the situation to stabilize.
“The goal is to recruit workers,” says Eric Boyko.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Eric Boyko
“The companies’ human resources departments will work together to draw up lists of candidates and exchange information on best practices. They all need employees. It’s a matter of focus. Instead of hiring workers from other countries, we will prioritize Ukraine,” says Eric Boyko.
Depending on their qualifications, Ukrainian candidates will be considered for positions, for example, accountant, computer engineer, or warehouse jobs.
Recruiting in Ukraine was previously very complex, in particular because of security tests, underlines Eric Boyko. The measures announced last Thursday by the federal government now open the door, he says. “Stingray has worked hard with Ottawa and Quebec to get things done. »
The Stingray-led project is headed by former Montreal mayor and former Canadian immigration minister Denis Coderre. “There is a lot of work to be done with Ottawa and Quebec on this file,” says Eric Boyko of the contribution of Denis Coderre, who is back at Stingray in a role of international development advisor.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Denis Coderre
Quebec inc. plays a humanitarian role in this crisis by becoming a solution for displaced Ukrainians. It is a win-win formula.
Denis Coderre
“It’s dignity through work. There is a humanitarian aspect, and the people who come here fill a labor problem, ”continues the ex-politician.
“Our contribution is to bring in families who will come and find peace and contribute to the common effort with specific skills and expertise,” says Denis Coderre.
Ukrainian roots
Eric Boyko points out that he and his brother feel connected because of their Ukrainian roots and because members of their family live near Lviv, in western Ukraine, but also because they have employees there. low.
If Stingray had ten employees in Ukraine before the start of the war, Trans-Pro Logistique, the Montreal freight transport company founded and managed by Peter Boyko and of which Eric Boyko is a shareholder, had 38.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ERIC BOYKO
Photo of the Boyko family taken four years ago in Lviv, Ukraine during the 80and birthday of Eric and Peter Boyko’s father. The father is in the center of the photo, surrounded by his two sons and the rest of the family.
“We used to go there often. We were very proud of our offices in Ukraine,” says Eric Boyko. “Before the war, many companies were already encouraged to open offices there,” says the entrepreneur, born in Montreal to a Ukrainian father and a Franco-Ontarian mother from the Ottawa region.
Obviously, men who did not leave before the war started cannot leave Ukraine now. Many women are therefore at risk of being hired. They can come with their children and their parents.
Peter Boyko says that 90% of Trans-Pro’s 38 employees in Ukraine – mostly assigned to customer service and dispatch for North American operations – were women.
He says Ukrainians are dedicated to the work and have a “beautiful” culture. “The parents and grandparents of people of our generation lived through the Second World War. These people appreciate the daily life and the work and say thank you. »
People are very educated and often have two jobs. At Trans-Pro, we have doctors, lawyers and people with a doctorate in biology. The reason these people work at Trans-Pro is because salaries are lower in Ukraine.
Peter Boyko
“A doctor in Ukraine earns US$500 net per month. They have no choice but to have two jobs. A doctor earns much more as a dispatcher at Trans-Pro. And working for a Canadian company is pretty well perceived given that there are 1.4 million Ukrainians in Canada. »
At Bombardier, spokesperson Mark Masluch says the organization is proud to be part of this initiative. “We were already evaluating our needs,” he said, adding that Bombardier would like to fill jobs in information technology.
At the National Bank, management also said it was “proud” to participate in welcoming Ukrainian families as part of this initiative. “We are working to finalize the details of our contribution,” said spokesperson Marie-Pierre Jodoin.