York Region awaits federal aid for asylum seekers after Toronto funded

Toronto received $143 million but no word yet on support for York Region

Newmarkettoday.ca
Feb. 12, 2024
Joseph Quigley

The Regional Municipality of York is applying for federal funding to help support the influx of asylum seekers after neighbouring Toronto received a boost.

The federal government has provided the City of Toronto with $143 million to address the issue, part of a $364.2-million pool announced through the interim housing assistance program. But funding for other municipalities also helping asylum seekers has not yet come forward.

While Toronto has the majority of asylum seekers, York Region chair and CEO Wayne Emmerson said upper government funding needs to come through for other municipalities trying to provide assistance.

“Going forward, we will continue to do what we do best and help as many people as you possibly can. But this is a provincial and federal issue and hopefully, we’ll get some funding in the very near future.”

York Region has dedicated $4.3 million to aid asylum seekers, opening up a couple of hotel sites to house them. The GTA has seen many people coming from African countries in recent months, with municipalities having to aid them through their housing and shelter services. That has led municipalities like York to call for provincial and federal funding.

The federal assistance program is a cost-sharing fund that provides reimbursement to provinces and municipalities for the provision of interim housing for asylum seekers. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it requires application.

The government “remains in regular discussions with York Region with respect to their requests, and the scope of their expenses,” the government department said. “Responding to the needs of asylum claimants requires all orders of government, and the government of Canada remains committed to working with its partners to determine how we can best and most efficiently support them.”

York Region commissioner of community and health services Katherine Chislett said the region has applied to get some of that additional funding. She said she is pleased the federal government is acknowledging the work of municipalities.

“Municipalities are at the forefront of responding to the extraordinary volume of asylum seekers arriving in our communities; continued investment from senior levels of government is needed to ensure municipalities can address the unprecedented demand exceeding the capacity of the emergency and transitional housing system," she said.

The region’s has said its $4.3 million allotment would only extend to the end of March, at which point the hotel sites and additional services provided to asylum seekers could end.

Meanwhile, organizations helping asylum seekers in the south end of the region, including Miracle Arena of Canada, have said the support is not going far enough.