UNFORGETTABLE SAGAS, SCOOPS AND SCANDALS
 from Toronto Life’slong-form archives

Dear Reader,

This week marks the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the conflict rages on, Torontonians have continued to step up, both at home and abroad—marching to denounce Putin’s assault, raising millions of dollars and even flying to Europe to aid fleeing refugees. In this edition of The Vault, we revisit stories of love and resilience from Toronto’s Little Ukraine. Read on for first-person chronicles from the brave families who made harrowing escapes from their country, the good Samaritans who opened their doors to strangers and the Ukrainian Canadian leaders supporting their community through the horrors of war.

Big Heart, Little Ukraine

Since the war started, the corner of Bloor and Runnymede—a landing spot for new Canadians for more than 100 years—has been an epicentre of altruism

BY ALI AMAD, GIORDANO CIAMPINI, ALEX CYR, JARED LINDZON, MORGAN CAMERON ROSS, HALEY STEINBERG, CAITLIN WALSH MILLER AND ANDREA YU | MAY 20, 2022

For decades, thousands of Ukrainians have settled in Bloor West Village, where they lovingly celebrate their culture. Since Russia’s invasion, the community has banded together in an impassioned display of solidarity. Blue-and-yellow flags hang in shop windows. Locals are opening their homes and wallets to families fleeing the war. Cooks and caterers are raising relief funds. More than a century after the first Ukrainians arrived here, this collection of stories shows that Toronto remains a place for belonging and renewal.

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