Local action on crisis
Mayor, religious leaders vow to help,
Mayor John Tory and faith leaders have pledged to help thousands of Syrians resettle in Toronto amid worries federal red tape will prevent many from getting here.
Tory met almost 40 representatives of religious and aid groups at city hall Thursday, brainstorming ways to get passage and a soft landing for those risking their lives to get to crowded makeshift camps in Europe.
“We’re on this,” Tory told reporters of Toronto’s response to the international crisis after the closed-door meeting at city hall.
“The more people that can get involved helping in different ways, the more we are going to be able to help a greater number of those overseas who are struggling and facing unspeakable trauma in their lives.”
Suggestions that came out of the session, Tory said, include public fundraising events, creation of an insurance fund to “backstop” refugee sponsors and registries for doctors willing to offer their services free.
Lifeline Syria, a volunteer-run aid group, said a Thursday night information session for people considering sponsorship of a refugee was fully booked within hours. The group has a goal of resettling 1,000 refugees in the GTA over the next two years.
Councillors Joe Mihevc, Joe Cressy and others are hosting another public meeting at city hall on Sept. 27 at 2 p.m. It is open to all who want to help Syrians and others who are risking their lives to flee war and persecution.
Dr. Preetkamal Randhawa, who sees refugees at the Queen St. W. clinic he runs with Dr. Parminder Singh, said it was “beautiful” to see a room full of leaders of different faiths working together to help vulnerable people. But Singh said they pushed Tory on whether he can urge the prime minister to relax his government’s tightened border controls.
“The Sikh community has been involved in other crises for a long time,” said Singh, part of Gursikh Sabha Canada temple in Scarborough. “There was a huge outcry from the community on what is it that we can do more immediately” to help Syrian refugees. “But when you actually go into and you realize how difficult it is to bring individuals to Canada, I was very disheartened . . . Aside from having a Syrian family member or an individual who’s in a refugee camp right now who has been processed by the UN, it’s almost nearly impossible to bring people.”
Sing added that the group talked “about the elephant in the room, changes that have been made to the immigration and refugee processes.”
Around the same time, Harper was in P.E.I. hinting he will soon announce new measures on the issue.
Tory, asked by a reporter if he can use his personal relationship with Harper to push for help for refugees, said: “I’m not in the government of Canada.”
He noted his vow to stay neutral in the federal election.
The mayor did say, however, that when it comes to government operations, “there’s always ways in which you can speed up what you’re doing . . . without sacrificing quality.”