The federal government announces it will award an additional $97 million to accommodate Toronto’s asylum seekers who have been camping on the streets for several weeks due to lack of space in shelters. However, Mayor Olivia Chow says that’s not enough.
This was announced by Federal Immigration Minister Sean Fraser on Tuesday morning. The images of these dozens of refugees sleeping on the sidewalk have made headlines for several days.
Canada will continue to support the world’s most vulnerable people who seek our protection.
However, the Queen City requested 157 million additional funds from the Trudeau government to cover all bills related to the services offered to the refugees.
In a statement, Mayor Olivia Chow called the federal investment “a step in the right direction.”
This is not enough to meet the needs of refugees arriving in Toronto and the region, but could temporarily fill the gap.
She says the city will try to find immediate solutions for housing asylum seekers, without giving details. City authorities said shelters for asylum seekers and homeless shelters were all fully booked.
Chow said talks with the federal and provincial governments would resume on Tuesday.
About 200 asylum seekers were able to find temporary shelter at a church in northwest Toronto on Monday evening thanks to an initiative by community groups.
“I was scared,” says one refugee
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Asylum seeker Patrice Bigirimana says he slept on the streets of downtown Toronto for a month before finding temporary sanctuary in a church.
Photo: Radio Canada
Burundian refugee Patrice Bigirimana says he has been camping outside the city center for the homeless on Peter Street in the city center for a month, hoping to get a bed before he can temporarily move into Revivaltime church on Monday night.
I was scared, he says. He feels safe now, but wonders how long he can stay there.
We don’t know what will follow.
He also wants to get a work permit. We want to work, he says and is willing to be employed in a factory, for example, to earn a living.
temporary worker
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About 200 asylum seekers were temporarily housed at this north Toronto church.
Photo: Radio Canada
Community groups organizing the bus transport of asylum seekers to Revivaltime Church on Monday night insist it is a temporary initiative.
We will try to help you as long as possible, but this is a very temporary fix to a very big problem.
Pastor Judith James says the men are housed in the facility’s gymnasium, while the women, including pregnant women, are housed in two large rooms.
On Monday night they could eat chicken and pizza and take a shower. The Jamaican Association of Canada should provide them with lunch on Tuesday morning, Ms James adds.
Community leaders need to do more, the federal and provincial governments need to do more, she adds. It’s a national crisis.
For his part, Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged Ottawa to intervene Tuesday morning ahead of the federal government’s announcement. We can’t just leave people there and tell them, “We did our job,” he says. We all have to work together. He also applied for a work permit for asylum seekers.
City Administrator Paul Johnson said earlier this week that about 35 percent of Toronto’s 9,000 shelters are currently occupied by refugees. The city says it will add 1,500 places for asylum seekers in the spring of 2022, but all are fully booked. According to their own information, the municipalities receive funding for 500 refugees. According to Mr Johnson, the city is using its reserves to accommodate more than 3,000 people.
With information from Jérémie Bergeron
With information from CBC