No new money for asylum seekers!
Olivia Chow, the mayor of has not been able to source money from the federal government of Canada.
CP24 reports that the mayor needs the money to reimburse several churches in Toronto which took in asylum seekers when the city had an accommodation crisis for them.
Chow met Marc Miller, the federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship earlier Wednesday to ask for assistance.
The council had voted on motion last week to ask the federal government to reimburse the churches and organizations which provided funding for refugees to the tune of up to $750,000.
The city is also asking Ottawa to repay $200 million in 2023 shelter system costs, inclusive of the $97 million the federal government has already committed in July.
If the government at the center fails to cover the $750,000, the will be left with no choice but paying the amount in full.
While speaking to reporters, Chow said “Toronto has time and again begged for some crumbs, I met with the minister, I pled my case about refugees and they’re thinking about it.”
But the minister remarked that the province has a role to play as well while pointing out the absence of premier Doug Ford’s government at the meeting.
The minister said he thinks “a more humane and humanitarian response” can be applied to the asylum crisis.
