We need money and more help to support asylum seekers, Windsor councillors say

A group of Windsor, Ont., councillors say they want to move ahead with a plan to tell the federal government the city can't handle any more asylum seekers.

Members of a city hall committee voted Wednsday to write to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

They want to tell Ottawa that without more federal help, Windsor "does not have the capacity or resources to support additional asylum claimants beyond those estimated based on the current number of secured temporary accommodation." They also want the federal government to appoint a lead local agency. 

David Cote, a staff lawyer at Legal Assistance of Windsor, says the root of the problem lies in the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), due to its limitations on border crossings. 

"As long as the federal government continues to implement the STCA without regard to the treatment of asylum claimants in the United States, we will continue to see people entering Canada," Cote told the community services standing committee.

"A cap on numbers has not and will not work."

Windsor, like other border cities, is seeing an increase in asylum seekers sent northeast from some southern Republican states.

Many in Ontario arrived via Quebec. IRCC said this month that about 3,300 people seeking asylum are in Ontario. 

A report by manager of social policy and planning Stephen Lynn said 518 claimants are staying in hotels in Windsor, having "arrived between designated ports of entry on the Canada/U.S. land border."

The report says these new arrivals are in a different category than permanent resident government-assisted or privately sponsored refugees, which, according to Cote, is one of the core problems.

'We are a welcoming community'

Ward 2 councillor Fabio Constante brought up concerns about possible long-term issues like housing. Andrew Daher, commissioner of human and health services, said it's on their radar.

"If and when these individuals leave the hotel and they find housing … if that falls through, then they have no where else to go."

He said he's met with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to raise those concerns.

Daher said the city is asking for more money to continue to help asylum seekers.

"We are a welcoming community. We are a very diverse community. In no way it was our intention or the recommendation was put forward in this report saying 'we don't want them in our community.' What we're saying is we need supports, we need the resources, we need the help."

Costante agreed with Daher's comments and said he wants to set new Canadians up for success.

"I often joke, what is Canadian? It's often an immigrant with some seniority."

City council will has to ratify the vote. The next meeting is March 20.

Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmiercyzk told CBC he organized a meeting Wednesday morning between Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens. 

The minister, he said, recognized the generosity of the city and also the challenges it was facing in welcoming so many refugees.  

"We are having conversations at the federal level [about] how else we can support municipalities and provinces in their work to settle the asylum seekers," said Kusmiercyzk.

"At the same time, we're also working very closely with our American counterparts to really close the gap or the loophole within the Safe Third [Country] Agreement, which is really the reason why we're seeing such a huge influx of asylum seekers. ... But this is an all-hands-on-deck approach, and we very much are listening to the municipality and our partners on the ground, and we want to support them as much as possible."

Kusmiercyzk held a gathering Wednesday evening with community and faith leaders in the Windsor area who are concerned about a recent meeting between Conservative Party MPs and Member of the European Parliament Christine Anderson, whose views were condemned by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre as vile, racist and hateful.