Stouffville councillor wants local response to Syrian crisis
Yorkregion.com
Sept. 14, 2015
By Sandra Bolan
Whitchurch-Stouffville Councillor Iain Lovatt wants to know how the town and York Region can respond to the Syrian crisis.
The Ward 5 councillor is hoping Mayor Justin Altmann makes a motion during tomorrow night’s council meeting asking staff to investigate.
“I believe we have a moral obligation to respond and take whatever action we can to extend an invitation to those who are living in hellish conditions as they flee for their lives,” Lovatt wrote, in part, in an email to Altmann, Regional Chairperson Wayne Emmerson and federal election candidates.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) is challenging its member municipalities to donate at least $100 to aid in the resettlement of Syrian refugees into safe countries.
AMO hopes to raise a minimum of $40,000, which will help save two families, its president wrote in an email to the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville.
AMO will donate all proceeds to Lifeline Syria, which is a community-based initiative looking to re-settle and integrate 1,000 Syrian refugees into Ontario over the next two years.
The provincial government has provided seed funding to Lifeline Syria to support its work, but it is reliant on public donations to fulfill its mandate, according to the email from AMO.
According to Lovatt, the Stouffville United Church is trying to rally together for the sponsorship of a family. The cost, for a family of four for one year, is $30,000.
St. James Presbyterian Church is also working on an action plan.
