Four more communities to welcome government-assisted refugees

Organizations in Brandon, Manitoba as well as Kingston, Mississauga and Thunder Bay in Ontario are coming forward to play a stronger role in resettling refugees to Canada.

Westman Immigrant Services in Brandon, Kingston Employment and Youth Services, Polycultural Immigrant and Community Services in Mississauga and the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association have all shown that they have the services in place to accept government-assisted refugees as new Resettlement Assistance Program centres.

“Today’s announcement is another great example of Canadians working together to welcome refugees, giving them the tools and support they’ll need to be able to properly settle and contribute to their new communities,” said John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. “We will continue to work with our provincial, territorial and local partners to ensure that supports are in place for refugee families as they build their new lives in Canada.”

There are now a total of 31 communities outside Quebec giving comprehensive and expanded services to refugees under the refugee Resettlement Assistance Program when they first arrive in Canada.

With the addition of these new centres, the call for proposals launched earlier this year to identify new temporary Resettlement Assistance Program centres across Canada is now closed.