Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the Canadian government is thinking about purchasing hotels to house the uptick in asylum seekers and to cut the cost with accommodating them. The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday the Canadian government has taken out long leases on hotels to assist provinces with accommodating higher numbers of refugee claimants in the last few years. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the Canadian government has paid for about 4,000 hotel rooms for 7,300 asylum seekers this year. Miller confirmed the Canadian government was looking at a more practical, affordable way to house refugee claimants, including buying hotels and converting them. He added one idea being examined would involve placing federal and provincial officials in the converted hotels to offer services for asylum seekers. While work has been put in to fix the asylum system, he said the numbers “aren’t going down drastically any time soon.”The Canadian government said in an Access to Information and Privacy request it spent almost $94 million from 2021 to 2023 on booking hotels to house asylum seekers. This funding included 10 hotels in Montreal and some in Niagara Falls, ON, and Ottawa that were booked to reduce strain on larger cities. Figures obtained by Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli (Niagara Falls, ON) showed it spent more than $100 million on Niagara Falls hotels from February 2023 to February 2024. The Canadian government said in a reply to a parliamentary question almost 5,000 asylum seekers were placed in hotels from February 2023 to February 2024. On average, refugee claimants stayed in them for 113 days at a cost of $208 per person per day. The estimated total bill for the year was about $115 million, but the amount was incomplete because information was incompletely tracked when 2023 started. Not all invoices had been received since January 2024 by IRCC. While housing asylum seekers is provincial jurisdiction, the Canadian government has been covering the cost for them to stay in hotels since the COVID-19 pandemic started to help provinces with full shelters. Miller said options other than booking hotels are being looked into. One option is for new reception centres such as one being developed in Peel Region, which would offer services, food, and temporary shelter for about 1,300 asylum claimants per month. The reception centre would give up to five days of temporary shelter, legal aid, assistance with health and social issues, and various settlement referrals to those coming to the Greater Toronto Area. The Canadian government pledged to spend $1.1 billion over three years in Budget 2024 to help municipalities and provinces address the rising cost of housing asylum seekers through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP). IHAP is intended to fight homelessness asylum seekers could be facing. Provinces and large cities have complained about the cost of dealing with them. Some of them have resorted to living in homeless shelters or on the streets. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave $750 million to Quebec in June to deal with them after it said they had caused strain on housing, education and healthcare.MPs on the House of Commons Finance Committee voted against proposals to toughen up Canada’s asylum system and quicken processing times. Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs voted down the proposals. Canadian government records published on June 23 said Canada has witnessed a significant surge in refugee claims from foreign students, with more than 36,000 of them seeking asylum since 2018. READ MORE: Canada sees spike in refugee claims from foreign studentsThis trend has raised concerns about Canada’s education system and the recruitment practices of certain schools. Miller criticized the situation, saying this “isn't the sign of a healthy system.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the Canadian government is thinking about purchasing hotels to house the uptick in asylum seekers and to cut the cost with accommodating them. The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday the Canadian government has taken out long leases on hotels to assist provinces with accommodating higher numbers of refugee claimants in the last few years. Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the Canadian government has paid for about 4,000 hotel rooms for 7,300 asylum seekers this year. Miller confirmed the Canadian government was looking at a more practical, affordable way to house refugee claimants, including buying hotels and converting them. He added one idea being examined would involve placing federal and provincial officials in the converted hotels to offer services for asylum seekers. While work has been put in to fix the asylum system, he said the numbers “aren’t going down drastically any time soon.”The Canadian government said in an Access to Information and Privacy request it spent almost $94 million from 2021 to 2023 on booking hotels to house asylum seekers. This funding included 10 hotels in Montreal and some in Niagara Falls, ON, and Ottawa that were booked to reduce strain on larger cities. Figures obtained by Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli (Niagara Falls, ON) showed it spent more than $100 million on Niagara Falls hotels from February 2023 to February 2024. The Canadian government said in a reply to a parliamentary question almost 5,000 asylum seekers were placed in hotels from February 2023 to February 2024. On average, refugee claimants stayed in them for 113 days at a cost of $208 per person per day. The estimated total bill for the year was about $115 million, but the amount was incomplete because information was incompletely tracked when 2023 started. Not all invoices had been received since January 2024 by IRCC. While housing asylum seekers is provincial jurisdiction, the Canadian government has been covering the cost for them to stay in hotels since the COVID-19 pandemic started to help provinces with full shelters. Miller said options other than booking hotels are being looked into. One option is for new reception centres such as one being developed in Peel Region, which would offer services, food, and temporary shelter for about 1,300 asylum claimants per month. The reception centre would give up to five days of temporary shelter, legal aid, assistance with health and social issues, and various settlement referrals to those coming to the Greater Toronto Area. The Canadian government pledged to spend $1.1 billion over three years in Budget 2024 to help municipalities and provinces address the rising cost of housing asylum seekers through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP). IHAP is intended to fight homelessness asylum seekers could be facing. Provinces and large cities have complained about the cost of dealing with them. Some of them have resorted to living in homeless shelters or on the streets. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave $750 million to Quebec in June to deal with them after it said they had caused strain on housing, education and healthcare.MPs on the House of Commons Finance Committee voted against proposals to toughen up Canada’s asylum system and quicken processing times. Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs voted down the proposals. Canadian government records published on June 23 said Canada has witnessed a significant surge in refugee claims from foreign students, with more than 36,000 of them seeking asylum since 2018. READ MORE: Canada sees spike in refugee claims from foreign studentsThis trend has raised concerns about Canada’s education system and the recruitment practices of certain schools. Miller criticized the situation, saying this “isn't the sign of a healthy system.”
