Ottawa will limit use of Windsor hotels for asylum seekers to 500 rooms: mayor

The federal government will limit the number of Windsor hotel rooms used to house asylum seekers at 500, Mayor Drew Dilkens said at a city council meeting Monday night. 

Dilkens said he met with Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser  in early March to discuss supports for municipalities with high volumes of asylum seekers. 

There are 1,100 asylum seekers currently being housed in Windsor's hotels.

Mike Morency, who runs refugee claimant support service Matthew House, spoke to council about the growing number of asylum seekers. 

He said his organization anticipates an additional 2,000 asylum seekers will enter the city in 2023. 

Asylum seekers quick to enter workforce

Morency said refugee claimants — people who have begun the application process for refugee status but have not been accepted — face unique challenges and require additional support to adjust to life in Canada. 

"It's like entering into a car race when you haven't even bought your first car yet," he said.

"These people don't even have their refugee claims submitted."

He said refugee claimants often need help with paperwork and need time to meet with lawyers and attend meetings. He said once they deal with these hurdles, many are quick to enter the workforce.

Dilkens said the federal government will work with the municipality to get asylum seekers work permits and matched with jobs. He said the average newcomer received a work permit within four to five days of arriving. 

"We've tried to find the silver lining here and say if we have 1,100 people, how many are able-bodied skilled workers?" he said at Monday's council meeting. 

Pressure on hotels as tourist season approaches

Dilkens said the federal government has "indicated to us that our our peak here in Windsor will be 500 hotel rooms."

"They don't anticipate it'll go any higher than that," he said, adding that the government will try to disperse asylum seekers into the western and eastern provinces as well, to lessen pressures on Ontario cities like Windsor. 

One of those pressures, Dilkens said, is on the city's hotels as summer tourism season gets closer. 

Dilkens said the issue of housing refugee claimants in hotels was visible during the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) swimming championship at the end of February, when some visitors had to book rooms in Chatham because of low hotel availability. 

"That's not ideal and neither is the situation with 1,100 people who are waiting for cases to be adjudicated," he said.

"I think everyone's trying to find the middle ground that manages the pressure on both ends."