Doug Ford says Trudeau government must do more to help refugee crisis in Toronto

Premier Doug Ford is pleading with the federal government to help Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow with the crisis of refugees and asylum seekers in the city.

Ford, who said he welcomes the influx of newcomers to labour-starved Ontario, appealed to Ottawa to “speed up” the processing of the people, many of whom have fled countries like Uganda.

With new arrivals to Canada forced to camp outside 129 Peter St. — the Toronto homeless referral centre — an international problem has spilled onto city streets becoming a local challenge.

“This is where myself and the mayor agree 100 per cent. They (the federal government) owe the city of Toronto (more than) $150 million (in resettlement costs),” the premier told reporters Tuesday in the Niagara town of Lincoln.

Ford said Queen’s Park increased its level of funding to the city by 28 per cent — to about $225 million, but the federal government has to do more.

“There’s never been a more important time that all three levels of government have to work together. The federal government, as everyone knows, is in charge of the immigration,” he said.

With Ontario facing a severe labour shortage — some 380,000 jobs are unfilled right now — Ford implored Ottawa to expedite the processing of the refugees and asylum seekers.

“You know what these people want — because I’ve talked to them up in (my riding of) Etobicoke North right by the hotel there (where some are temporarily housed) — they’re all healthy, they all want to work,” he said.

“So the feds have to speed up the working permits. I guess it goes to making sure they have the status of the refugee and then they get a working permit, but you can’t have these people sitting around for … four or five more months. That’s unacceptable,” the premier said.

“The feds need to set up shop here in Ontario and start giving these people working permits. Folks, all they want is a better life,” he said.

“They come from all over the world. They hear about Ontario, we have the most multicultural jurisdiction of anywhere that I can think of — so the feds … have to pay up the city of Toronto.”

But NDP Leader Marit Stiles, in a letter to the premier Monday, emphasized the provincial government has a role to play as well.

“While we await action from the federal government, the Official Opposition calls on your government to provide immediate emergency funding to municipalities to shelter and house refugee and asylum claimants,” wrote Stiles.

“The government must simultaneously provide additional … funding across Ontario, particularly for agencies funded in the city of Toronto and along the Canada-U.S. border to help people find long-term housing and culturally appropriate services,” she added.

“Newcomers need barrier-free access to services so they can settle safely and comfortably in our province and start to find community. Homeless shelters are not equipped to provide the unique services and supports refugee claimants need and deserve.”

This is a developing story.

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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