2023 Welcoming Ottawa Ambassadors

Local realtor, Peggy Blair is a take charge kind of person with an incredible network. When she saw the war in Ukraine unfold in February 2022, she felt shocked and powerless, but quickly stepped up and mobilized support among her 12,000 Twitter followers. She had a connection to the country as she had worked there as an election observer. At one point Peggy had a 42-page spreadsheet tracking offers of assistance. She has since helped more than 200 Ukrainians to settle in Canada.
One family she helped is the Maslovs. “Peggy Blair became a godmother for our family,” says Andriy Maslov. In April 2022, Andriy, his wife Tatiana and their teenaged son Igor fled the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They joined their son Alex, a Carleton University student in Ottawa.
The first challenge was finding a house. Without references or a credit score in Canada, many landlords would not consider them as tenants. Peggy’s friend found them a home to rent in Barrhaven. But there was one problem – the house was completely empty.

“Peggy posted on Twitter about our family and the next day we had many people bringing furniture and food to our house,” remembers Andriy. They were flooded with support. “The lineup outside our door seemed to go all the way to Tokyo,” laughs Andriy. Someone rented a cube van. People brought furniture, food (including prepared meals), flowers, tools, artwork, a large Ukrainian flag, gardening supplies and so much more. “It was unexpected and unusual to see this type of reaction,” remembers Andriy. “Everyone wanted to help and welcome us to Ottawa.”

Peggy also facilitated a very Canadian experience for Andriy. “When I was a kid I dreamed of playing hockey,” says Andriy. Peggy tweeted about this and the next day Andriy received a phone call from Marc St. Pierre from Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group who organized a skate with some of the Ottawa 67s hockey team. Media covered Andriy’s first try at hockey at the age of 44. “He had the widest smile that day!” remembers Peggy. He continues to play hockey when he’s not working abroad as a marine supervisor.
She also has used her Twitter magic to find a co-op placement for one of the Maslov sons.

“Peggy regularly invites our family for dinner with her friends at her house,” adds Andrey. “It helps make us feel that we are part of Canadian society. We are really grateful for Peggy’s kindness and continuous support to our family and other Ukrainians.”
After more than a year in Ottawa, the Maslovs are more settled and busy working. They recently received the good news that their application for permanent residency was accepted. Peggy acted as one of their references.
“Now Canada is a second home for me,” concludes Andriy. “I can 100 per cent relax in Canada. I have kind friends like Peggy who have helped me to integrate.”

“It’s such a nice gesture for Andriy to nominate me as a Welcoming Ottawa Ambassador,” remarks Peggy. “I’m honoured by this award. I’ve always tried to find practical ways for people to build community for others who have lost everything. I love this family.” She really is like their godmother.