A police officer from the Sûreté du Québec, feeling the need to do his part in the war between Russia and Ukraine, decided to take in refugees who he now considers members of his own family.
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“When I saw what was happening, I knew I had to act. I would have liked the same to be done for me,” says agent Dominic Tanguay with a smile.
Earlier this year, the 41-year-old faced two cancellations from people who were set to rent the apartment he had built in his Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly basement.
A situation that he quickly took as a sign when war broke out in Ukraine shortly afterwards. Mr Tanguay then tried to use social media to reach out to families trying to leave the country.
That’s when he met Andrii and Karyna Martyniuk, who had managed to get to Poland with their little girl Sophia, throwing poles to find a job in Canada.
trust are earned
“At first we didn’t trust him. We had seen films in which murderers posed as policemen,” explains Mr. Martyniuk, who is learning French, with a laugh.
Trust was built between the two men over the weeks and Mr Tanguay managed to bring the Ukrainian family into the country before hosting them at his home for free since June.
“It’s like having my own family enlarged. There are really connections that have been forged,” says the police officer, who accompanies the couple through the endless steps they must take to start their life anew in Quebec.
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