Hunt is on for ways to house refugees
The Ottawa area is likely to play a key role in offering “interim lodging sites” this winter for hundreds of the 25,000 Syrian refugees who may start to land in Toronto and Montreal as early as Dec. 1.
A draft government document outlines a plan to fly an average of 900 refugees a day to Canada throughout December, transport them by bus to interim sites, and finally into communities within a couple of months.
The refugees are to be brought from Jordan and Lebanon on three flights a day to Toronto and Montreal, the two “designated ports of entry.”
Ottawa and Trenton are named in the document as “alternate ports of entry.” If refugees do land in Ottawa, they may not be processed at the main Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. In 2010, Haitian children were greeted in Ottawa by adoptive families at the Canada Reception Centre Hangar 11.
This city’s major role, however, is likely to be as an “interim lodging site” to house refugees soon after they arrive in Montreal. According to the draft document, the sites “must be located within four hours (400 km) of the port of entry ... and within one hour from urban centres that have fire, hospital, police and other services.”
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister John McCallum Friday cautioned against accepting everything in the draft document as fact, suggesting it could be out of date. But the document, dated earlier this month, nonetheless provides specific details of options the government has discussed.
Interim housing facilities for refugees are expected to offer translation services, places of worship, health and emergency social services, kitchens and food service and recreation facilities, according to the draft document. The refugees will remain in them until they have the documentation they need to be settled into communities. This could take up to two months, but the sites must have the capacity if it takes longer.
Ottawa’s Catholic Centre for Immigrants runs a 100-bed Reception House on Boteler Street in the ByWard Market. Executive Director Carl Nicholson said he’s been frantically calling hotels, motels, closed schools and other venues where Syrian refugees could be temporarily housed. He has identified lodging for about 500 more people, on top of the 100 at Reception House.
It’s still unclear how many refugees Ottawa can expect before the end of the year. By applying the same percentage breakdown of refugees coming to Ottawa relative to the Canadian total, close to 1,200 Syrian refugees could arrive in Ottawa next month, according to Nicholson’s calculations.
Mayors of cities and towns that aren’t typically destinations for refugees have expressed interest in helping out, which may reduce the number coming to Ottawa, said Nicholson.
On the other hand, the federal government may decide that it’s better to group as many refugees as possible in larger cities where support programs exist. In that scenario, Ottawa’s number would be higher.
At a press conference Friday, McCallum said a detailed plan would be unveiled on Tuesday, and made a passionate plea for the public’s assistance to house refugees.
“I call upon Canadians, if they have access to free or cheap decent lodging, help us out,” he said. “We want to hear from you. This is a national project.”
There has been much speculation about possible interim lodging sites, but little detail.
At CFB Trenton, Commanding Officer Col. Colin Keiver said the base is preparing for as many as 950 refugees.
In Cornwall, MP Guy Lauzon has said he was in contact with McCallum about housing refugees at the Nav Centre, a training and conference facility with 550 guest rooms. No one from the centre could confirm Friday whether it was preparing to become a lodging site.
At the shuttered Kemptville College — where dorms were recently decommissioned — there are 170 spaces in two residence buildings, mostly double rooms. The residences are now run by the township of North Grenville, where no officials were available for comment.
McCallum has also reached out to the mayors of cities close to Toronto and Montreal. The minister spoke with Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson soon after the election, but not in recent days as the mayor is on a trade mission in Asia.
In a statement from Thailand, Watson called for a commitment to accepting and resettling refugees in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris. “We should not be fearful of these men, women and children. We should embrace them. They need our help.”
The immigration minister said Friday he plans to speak with the big city mayors’ caucus on Monday.
Nicholson doesn’t imagine a scenario where Ottawa takes on more than 2,000 refugees, but he believes the city could easily do so.
“I think Ottawa could happily absorb 3,000 people. Maybe not all in the same day, but over a period of time,” he said.
“And if our generous community helps, that could make a huge difference. The privately sponsored refugees are surrounded by a group of helpers. To me, it would be a beautiful thing for us as a community to also surround each one of these government-sponsored refugees with a group of helpers, and we’re just the agency to do that. We are putting up our hands to do that.”