300 drawn to talk on sponsoring refugees
About 300 people showed up at St. Matthias Anglican Church for an information session on private sponsorship of refugees — an inspiring example of Victoria’s potential for humanitarianism, its pastor says.
“I’m used to having 50 people in church on Sunday morning,” Rev. Bruce Bryant-Scott said of the Wednesday night event.
“It was on a hot evening, and we don’t have air conditioning.”
Bryant-Scott said because such “tremendous interest” was shown, more sessions will be held. And he plans to travel to Gabriola Island, Port Alberni and other communities.
At the church, there were parishioners, university students, tech sector and government workers, retirees and members of the Syrian community, he said.
Sabine Lehr, from the InterCultural Association of Victoria, and Bryant-Scott explained sponsorship procedures and fielded questions about the Syrian refugee crisis.
Canadians may sponsor refugees as part of a group of five or more people, through community sponsorship, or through sponsorship-agreement holders such as faith groups or humanitarian organizations. The federal government’s Blended Visa Office-Referred Program matches refugees identified for resettlement by the United Nations Refugee Agency with private sponsors in Canada.
“One of the challenges we face is that even though there are four million Syrian refugees, the waiting list for people the Canadian government can refer to us has been snapped up [by other groups],” Bryant-Scott said.
The church is trying to bring three Syrian refugee families to Victoria. Contacts are made through the federal government’s program, families and the Internet, he said, but the process is costly — about $30,000 to support a family of four for a year. Activists say more federal support could ease the financial burden for sponsors.
“A lot depends on what goes on with Immigration Canada over the next six weeks. We’ll see,” said Bryant-Scott, who said he has reached out to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Victoria’s bishop, the Rev. Gary Gordon, for potential collaboration.
Canada has promised to take in 11,300 refugees by the end of 2018. Of that, 2,374 have arrived so far.
Bishop Logan McMenamie of the Anglican Diocese of B.C. is calling on Canadians to raise the migrant crisis with candidates ahead of the federal election. “We are a nation of immigrants and we should never forget the welcome we received in this country,” he wrote in a letter released Thursday, adding he hoped the federal government will revise its refugee program to accept more families.
Bryant-Scott said those who want to help can go to the website for the Canadian Council for Refugees at ccrweb.ca, or donate to organizations such as the United Nations Refugee Agency or Doctors Without Borders.
VANCOUVER — Hanan Alawwad had already escaped killings, kidnappings and bombings in Syria when her son was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The mother of five sought refuge with her family in Lebanon, where little Ayman became ill in 2013. His medical costs were not covered in the neighbouring country, so Alawwad began travelling home with her boy once a week for his treatment.
“In the hospital, we would be hearing the sound of bullets and explosions,” recalled Alawwad, speaking through a translator. “I would cross the border and I’m not sure if I will come back.”
The family of seven now lives in Surrey after arriving in Canada last December as governmentassisted refugees. Seven-year-old Ayman spent the first four months in hospital and is now recovering.
As the rambunctious little boy played with his brothers and sisters outside a newcomer centre under construction, Alawwad said other refugees deserve the same chance to start a new life in Canada.
“Right now, everybody has high needs. Syria, the situation there is unbearable,” she said. “Those who are healthy, now they have sons who are crippled [from bombings].”
The family was among several dozen refugees visiting the Immigrant Services Society of B.C.’s Welcome House, a $24.5-million housing and support facility set to open in Vancouver next June.
Alawwad’s husband, Samer Aldhmad, said they were originally from Daraa, among the first cities where Syrian forces violently suppressed protests in 2011.
Refugees to Canada must pay for their travel and are sometimes offered loans by the federal government. Although Aldhmad had to take out a loan of about $7,000, he said he didn’t mind.
“It was kind of a dream for me to come here, because the education is free for the kids,” he said through a translator. “The government helped us in many ways as well.”
The newcomer centre, funded with support from the City of Vancouver and Vancity credit union, will include 18 housing units with up to 130 beds, a health clinic and adult education classes.
Mayor Gregor Robertson said he has joined mayors in Toronto and Calgary in urging the federal government and cities to do more for refugees.
Robertson said he will ask council next week to support a motion calling on Canada to increase the number of government-assisted refugees to at least 20,000 per year by 2020.