(Image from TAIBU Black Mental Health Week Event)
A major issue for the City over the past several years has been how the Federal Government has handled new refugees to Canada. This can be a very sensitive topic so I wanted to make sure I am clear upfront: Canada is a rich nation, and it is our responsibility to aid people around the world who are fleeing persecution, torture and war. Toronto is a natural place to welcome people, as being the largest city in the country with a wealth of organizations to provide shelter, job opportunities and support. No matter where they settle, I hope you can agree that as a country we should be setting refugees up for success.
Last month, City Council debated an item called “Identifying and Addressing Pressures in the Refugee and Emergency Shelter System.” The numbers are not good: the City’s shelter system accommodated over 4,000 refugee and asylum seekers last month. Whereas our shelter system accommodated 530 refugees per night in 2021, we reached 6,490 on August 20, 2024. With a total shelter capacity capping out at servicing about 10,000 individuals a night. This means that on most nights more than a third of our system is being used by refugees, two-thirds of which we know have been in the system for more than six months. With demand already exceeding available beds, the result is more people sleeping rough, in a tent in a park or in our ravine system.
When Russia illegally invaded Ukraine in 2022, our country opened its arms up to accept just under 300,000 refugees fleeing war. The Federal Government supported–and largely continues to support–Ukrainian refugees with access to education and jobs, as well as helped connect refugees to healthcare, settlement services and financial supports. The City itself was involved in helping provide and coordinate supports to assist the Ukrainian people coming to Toronto. This was an amazing response by all orders of government that was well justified.
About a year later in 2023, refugees fleeing countries like Uganda, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya became one of the faces of the pandemic when they began congregating outside of the City’s shelter referral centre at 129 Peter Street. From speaking with organizations that were assisting these refugees, we know that many were from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and were fleeing to avoid arrest and imprisonment. This event exposed tremendous gaps within the country on how there is a second class of refugees–particularly those from Africa–and how their treatment was significantly different. It also reflected that over a very short time–two years–that a new deal for how the Federal Government assisted refugees was needed.
The City’s response to deny these refugees access to our shelter system was not in line with my values, and I joined an unanimous vote from City Council to work with other orders of government to reverse this action and provide housing supports specifically tailored to refugees. In doing so, the City was able to divert 1,600 refugees from the shelter system. But we should never have gotten to this point as a country, and that starts with the government who makes the decisions to accept refugees. It’s fine if a federal government wants people to settle in Toronto, but they need to ensure supports are provided from day one.
In 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced changes that will ultimately cut funding for cities like Toronto. The Federal Government currently provides 95% cost-sharing with the City for refugee-related programs, however cost-sharing is set to drop to 50% by 2026/2027, and be eliminated by March 31, 2027. The financial impact will be massive. After essentially being forced to create these programs to assist refugees that were unilaterally brought to Toronto by the Federal Government, the City is now facing potentially hundreds of millions of additional costs a year to care for another order of government’s actions. This change will also significantly impact community organizations who provide services to refugees. Toronto needs a fair deal, and it’s going to be our next federal government who will need to provide it.
So when candidates knock on your door this month, I encourage you to ask for their support in housing and supporting refugees. Ask how their government will work with municipalities like Toronto to ensure refugees can get caught in the social safety net-housing, employment and training, etc.--needed to avoid long-term pressures on our shelter system. And when you’re talking with friends and family across the country, I encourage you to ask them to join this request to treat refugees with compassion, dignity and the supports we would expect to allow them to allow any newcomer to succeed in Canada.
Yours in Service,
Chris Moise
City Councillor
Ward 13 - Toronto Centre
