Mayor John Tory sponsoring Syrian family, in wake of refugee crisis
Mayor John Tory says Torontonians need to make the crisis top of mind, act generously towards Syrian refugees

thestar.com
Sept. 3, 2015
By David Rider

Mayor John Tory is sponsoring a family from Syria in the wake of an ongoing humanitarian crisis overseas as he pushes for other Toronto residents and Canadian cities to welcome refugees to their communities.

The mayor, who worked in politics when there was an influx of Vietnamese refugees who arrived by boat in Canada during the mid-1970s, said he didn’t think the Syrian crisis had yet reached top-of-mind for Canadians.

“I just hope that people will realize that something similar is going on here and step up to help because they can,” he said in an interview Thursday.

Tory said he is part of a group of citizens that will be sponsoring a Syrian family through Toronto-based Lifeline Syria, a non-profit group that is working to facilitate the sponsorship of 1,000 refugees for resettlement in the GTA over the next two years.

Tory’s comments come after the body of a Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, washed up on a Turkish beach as his family attempted to flee a desperate living situation and threats of terrorist group ISIS. Pictures of his lifeless body being carried from the beach drew public outrage around the world this week over the ongoing migrant crisis in the toddler’s home country.

Tory said his sponsor group is responsible for funding $27,000. They are also assuming responsibilities like collecting furniture for a family’s use once they arrive next year.

Tory said he would like to help find more opportunities for Lifeline Syria’s chair Ratna Omidvar to encourage refugee sponsors. Tory said he would be speaking to Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Thursday night about creating similar citizen-run organizations in other cities.

“I know from what I saw during Pan Am and you see it every day - I was out last night in the community where the painters’ union gave 10 scholarships to wonderful kids from the Firgrove TCHC neighbourhood,” Tory said. “And I know that’s what Toronto’s all about and I know back from as far as the Vietnamese refugees that when the community put its mind to saying, OK, church groups, community groups and families joining in a little group like what we’re part of, did this hundreds of times over. We know how to do it and we know why we do it.”

In a press release Thursday night, Lifeline Syria called on the federal government to “act urgently” to the worsening refugee crisis, including demands to cut “complex paperwork” and boost resources to expedite refugees’ arrivals.