Toronto (Reuters) – Mayor Olivia Choycom apologized on Friday for what she said was an unacceptable treatment of refugees and asylum seekers who had been left sleeping on the streets of downtown Toronto for weeks as she renewed her calls for more funding from the federal government to deal with the crisis.
“It takes tremendous courage and strength to pick up, leave your belongings and your friends and relatives and flee to another country. That’s what they are. They came here as refugees. And I want to honor their courage and resilience,” choosen said during a news conference at the Resurrection Tabernacle Church.
“I also want on behalf of the city of Toronto and other levels of government to apologize for the way they have been treated on the streets and the lack of dignity they have experienced.”
Chow was at the Church of North York to visit refugees and asylum seekers who had been sheltering there for the past two weeks.
“There is absolutely no excuse to be in a new Lost place, both physically, spiritually and materially. Some literally lost their affiliation, their identification, which is critical for them to apply for refugee status. And that’s just not acceptable, ” she said.
The church near Dufferin Street and Finch Avenue, is just one of several groups that have stepped up to house hundreds of refugees who fled Toronto’s overwhelmed shelter system last month with the city referring them to federal programs. That left many weeks spent outside a downtown shelter in heat and rain.
Finally, the Federal Government gave Toronto $ 97 million to provide shelter spaces for Refugees and asylum seekers. While she was grateful for the money, Chobomber had said the money was not enough to address the issue.
On Friday, the mayor renewed her call in Ottawa to pledge long-term solutions to help refugees and asylum seekers arriving in Toronto.
One of them is the establishment of a reception centre at or near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport where claimants can find assistance upon landing on site.
Chow said churches should not be responsible for helping refugees find shelter and jobs.
“This is not a waiting room. This is a church-a church where people pray, get married, have funerals,” Chobomber said, adding that the facility’s gym, where summer programs for young people were supposed to be held, has also been closed to accommodate more spaces.
“All of these are canceled because they are growing.”
While she is grateful for the churches and all those who have donated so far, Chobomber said the federal government “must do the same.”
“It can’t be a short-term fix. We need a long-term solution. This small amount of money is not enough,” she said, noting that the city needs at least $ 160 million to ensure there are housing spaces available.
Chomporm noted that the 250 additional housing beds approved by the city council last week have been nearly allocated.
“We are full again. We are 3,300 refugees, ” she said. The city notes that as of today, 242 asylum seekers have been referred to temporary housing spaces, which are in two hotels and an existing city emergency shelter site.
Earlier this week, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland indicated that Ottawa would not be able to provide Toronto with additional funding to help the city with its $ 1 billion shortfall, saying in a letter to Cho-Finance that “the ability of the federal government to spend is not infinite.”
In response, Chobomber said on Friday that if the federal government does not want to deal with the city’s fiscal crisis, it must meet its responsibility to refugees and asylum seekers.
“The city of Toronto is broken. It’s not the first time you’ve heard it. They didn’t want to deal with that deficit. Okay. It’s okay. We’ll find out, ” Chou said.
“But we have people who come to this country every day, and they are arriving at Pearson. They are arriving in Toronto, in the Greater Toronto Area, and we need the federal government to take their responsibility seriously and help us welcome them.”
Chow called on the newly appointed Federal Housing and immigration ministers to visit the church to see the situation first-hand.
“They need to see the mattresses, the outpouring of support, but there is also the quiet desperation they are facing from these refugee claimants,” she said.
“Come and visit. Do it quickly, because this situation cannot continue. They need their churches. Young people need their churches.”
– With files by Joshua Freeman
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