Global Courant
Proponents say it is “a huge shame” that asylum seekers are stranded on the streets of Toronto as the city and federal government argue over who should foot the bill to take them in, and are calling on all levels of government to do more to help the problem.
In recent days, several dozen people have been seen sleeping in a sidewalk encampment outside a referral center for assistance with housing and emergency shelters in downtown Toronto.
Diana Chan McNallya harm reduction case manager at Toronto’s All Saints Church and homelessness advocate called the issue “blatant”.
“This is a human rights disaster. People come from places because they are actively fleeing trauma. And what happens when they get here? We’re traumatizing them again by making them unhappy again, on a sidewalk,” McNally told CTVNews.ca.
“This is definitely a huge disgrace.”
Saman Tabasinejad, acting executive director of Progress Toronto, echoed those comments.
“If Canada really wants to claim the title of human rights defender, as a welcoming place for newly arrived refugees, we really need to shut up,” Tabasinejad told CTVNews.ca.
CITY SAYS IT ‘URGENTLY NEEDS’ MORE FEDERAL FUNDING
As of June 1, the city of Toronto reject asylum seekers who show up at the shelters with capacity and refer them to federal programs. Toronto is calling for additional federal funding, citing challenges to meeting growing demand for shelter.
In an emailed statement to CTVNews.ca, the city said it “urgently” needs $157 million from the federal government to cover the costs of supporting asylum seekers in Toronto’s reception system, adding that refugees and immigration fall under federal jurisdiction.
The municipal government said it has enough money to support 500 individuals but uses reserve funds to support more than 3,000 asylum seekers who use the reception system every day.
On the other hand, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told CTVNews.ca that the federal government had previously provided about $215 million to the city to address the “extraordinary temporary housing pressure” resulting from the increased number of asylum seekers arriving in Toronto.
IRCC said an additional $175 million has been earmarked in the 2023-2024 federal budget for immigrant and refugee settlement services in the Toronto area.
But the city of Toronto said it has received no new funding since last year, when the federal government provided money to the city to cover the costs of asylum seekers entering Toronto’s shelter system in 2022.
ASYLUM SEEKERS ARE USED AS ‘NEGOTIATION CHIPS’: LAWYERS
Proponents denounce the political hot potato and say all levels of government must act to address this problem.
McNally said refugees and asylum seekers are being used as “negotiation chips” for additional funding — and in the meantime, they have nowhere to go but the streets of Toronto.
“They’re basically stranded on the sidewalk for many people, with no support or care either from the city of Toronto, no access to the shelter system, access to street workers, or the federal government,” she said.
McNally said responsibility for providing shelter for asylum seekers and refugees should ultimately fall with the federal government as it is part of the IRCC’s mandate to support those individuals, but condemned the city’s approach.
“They are playing political football with human lives and I think that is fundamentally wrong, especially when you withhold the most basic resources. But the federal government has to take responsibility because on a broader level this is not just happening in Toronto,” she said, noting that refugees and asylum seekers are also stranded in other major cities.
Tabasinejad agreed. She said a multifaceted response involving all levels of government is needed.
“But I do think that the federal and provincial government in particular, because they are so far removed from what is happening daily at the local level, need that extra push to provide the city with money and assistance in responding to the magnitude of the problem,” she added.
Progress Toronto launched a petition this week a call to Ottawa to fund shelter and emergency housing for refugees and asylum seekers. By Friday, it had received more than 1,700 signatures.
On Wednesday, Toronto mayor-elect Olivia Chow blamed the federal government.
Chow said Ottawa “is not currently paying a dime for refugee housing,” but wants to “remain hopeful” that the federal and provincial governments will come to the table to resolve the issue.
In an emailed statement, the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills said the province provided more than $96 million in funding last year to more than 150 Ontario organizations that provide a range of services to help refugees and other help newcomers learn English or English. French, settle down, access training and find work.
However, the ministry said resettling and supporting refugees and asylum seekers is “a federal responsibility”, adding that it continues to advocate with the federal government “for a fair share of Ontario’s funding under the National Housing Strategy”.
IRCC said it understands this situation is “incredibly difficult and sympathizes with those affected” and is committed to working with its provincial and municipal partners to help “ease the pressure” they face.
The federal ministry said it is currently trying to provide temporary housing for asylum seekers. On July 3, it said 3,536 hotel rooms had been reserved for these individuals in six counties.
Meanwhile, refugees arriving in Canada through resettlement programs are eligible for 12 months of income support from the federal government, along with temporary housing and help finding permanent housing, IRCC noted.
LAWYERS ARE CONCERNED FOR THE WELFARE OF UNHOUSED NEWCOMERS
In the meantime, lawyers say they are concerned about the well-being of the unhoused newcomers.
Moving to a new country can be an “unsettling experience,” but for a refugee or asylum seeker who has fled war or persecution in their home country, it can be especially difficult to feel safe and settled, Tabasinejad said.
Not having access to basic necessities such as shelter, food and water – while being exposed to them all kinds of elementsincluding extreme heat, rain and poor air quality in Toronto due to smoke from wildfires — only makes things worse for those individuals, she said.
McNally confirmed that and said she is concerned about the health and safety of these newcomers, some of whom come to the emergency room seeking help.
“There is a huge toll on people’s health and well-being when they are exposed to such heat, and especially when they have no access to food and water. So dehydration, heatstroke, these are big concerns that I have for these people,” she said.
