Mayor says he’s waiting on funds for refugee centre
Price tag for shelter has ballooned past allocated funding
More than three months after the federal government announced it would give Peel money to open a reception centre for refugees and asylum seekers, Brampton’s mayor says the costs have ballooned far beyond what Ottawa has promised to pay, stalling the project.
“It shouldn’t be so long down the road,” said Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown, referring to the opening of the centre. He added that having to pay for the project upfront is leaving the region in a bind. “Despite the fact that funding was promised for it, none of it has arrived. So it’s a slow process — frustratingly so.”
The federal government says they plan to reimburse its share of the expenses for the centre — which they say Peel Region has to apply for after covering initial costs — and are continuing to work with the region “trying to address the challenges they face.”
Following the November death of an asylum seeker trying to stay warm outside a Peel shelter, the federal government pledged $7 million to open a reception centre meant to provide support and temporary housing to the unprecedented number of refugees and asylum seekers arriving in the GTA. The centre, intended to be located near Pearson airport, would have 800 shelter beds and other services.
Federal funding for the reception centre is coming from the Interim Housing Assistance Program, which works with municipalities and provinces on a cost-sharing basis to provide interim housing for asylum claimants.
Brown said a staff report that will be considered before Peel regional council this month has found the costs of the centre are significantly more than the funding allows, and he says the remaining costs are too large for the municipalities to shoulder alone.
This, he said, in addition to lease negotiations, has been the main source of delays for the centre.
“The greatest obstacle right now is simply that the funding is well short of what is required,” said Brown, adding regions and municipalities are unable to run deficits and would need to make up the expenses elsewhere. “It has staff at the Region of Peel filled with trepidation because this is an area they’ve never funded … that is well beyond the historic mandate of the region.”
Isabelle Dubois, a spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, said in an email that the Region of Peel is leading development of the centre, and will operate it in collaboration with community groups.
In response to Brown’s assertion that the project has stalled due to funding, Dubois said the portion the federal government has committed to covering will only be provided as a reimbursement.
“Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada remains in regular discussions with Peel Region with respect to their requests, and the scope of their expenses,” she wrote.
“We remain committed to working together to support not only asylum claimants, but all newcomers seeking a better life in Canada.”
The Region of Peel would not disclose details about the project, including any information on the progress so far or when the longawaited centre may open.
At the time the project was announced, Aileen Baird, director of housing services for the Region of Peel, told the Star the new reception centre was not expected to open until at least early 2024. As spring nears, it is unclear when the centre will open.
“At this time, we are unable to provide any additional details on the reception centre; including its funding breakdown, current state and an anticipated open date,” wrote Stewart Lazarus, a spokesperson for the Region of Peel, in an email to the Star this week.
Once the issues around funding are resolved and the lease is secured, Brown expects it will take “a few months” before the centre is opened. But to get to that point, either the region or IRCC will need to commit to covering more of the costs.
“We’ve been doing it for the last year because we don’t want to see human tragedies like we’ve seen,” Brown said.
A second asylum seeker died of a pulmonary embolism at the same Peel shelter in February, after spending at least six hours outside in the cold due to a lack of shelter space.
“It’s a difficult decision for the region to have to subsidize something that you think would be already in place.”