Advocates say it鈥檚 鈥渁 huge shame鈥 that asylum seekers are being stranded on the streets of Toronto as the city and federal government argue over who should foot the bill to shelter them, and are calling on all levels of government to do more to address the issue.
In recent days, a few dozen people have been seen sleeping in an encampment on the sidewalk outside a referral centre for housing assistance and emergency shelter in downtown Toronto.
, a harm reduction case manager at Toronto鈥檚 All Saints Church and homelessness advocate, called the issue 鈥渆gregious.鈥
鈥淭his is a human rights disaster. Folks are coming from places because they are actively fleeing trauma. And what happens when they get here? We're inflicting trauma on them again by rendering them unhappy again, on a sidewalk,鈥 McNally told CTVNews.ca.
鈥淭his is absolutely a huge shame.鈥
Saman Tabasinejad, acting executive director of Progress Toronto, echoed those remarks.
鈥淚f Canada really wants to claim the title of being a human rights defender, as being a welcoming place for newly arrived refugees, we need to really put our money where our mouth is,鈥 Tabasinejad told CTVNews.ca.
As of June 1, the City of Toronto has been . Toronto is calling for additional federal funding, citing challenges meeting growing demand for shelter space.
In an emailed statement to CTVNews.ca, the city said it 鈥渦rgently requires鈥 $157 million from the federal government to cover the costs of supporting asylum seekers in Toronto鈥檚 shelter system, adding refugees and immigration 鈥渇all under federal purview.鈥
The municipal government said it has enough funding to support 500 individuals, but has been using reserve funds to support more than 3,000 asylum seekers who are using the shelter system on a daily basis.
On the other hand, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told CTVNews.ca the federal government previously provided roughly $215 million to the city to address 鈥渆xtraordinary interim housing pressures鈥 resulting from the increased numbers of asylum claimants arriving in Toronto.
IRCC said an additional $175 million is earmarked for immigrant and refugee settlement services in the Toronto area in the 2023-2024 federal budget.
But the City of Toronto said it hasn鈥檛 received any new funding since last year, when the federal government provided money to the city to cover the costs of asylum seekers who accessed Toronto鈥檚 shelter system in 2022.
Advocates are denouncing the political hot potato, saying all levels of government need to step up to address this issue.
McNally said refugees and asylum seekers are being used as 鈥渂argaining chips鈥 for additional funding 鈥 and in the interim, they have nowhere to go but the streets of Toronto.
鈥淭hey're effectively being stranded on the sidewalk for a lot of folks, without support or care, either from the City of Toronto, no access to the shelter system, access to outreach workers, or from the federal government,鈥 she said.
McNally said the responsibility of providing shelter for asylum seekers and refugees should ultimately fall on the federal government since it鈥檚 part of IRCC鈥檚 mandate to support those individuals, but condemned the city鈥檚 approach to the issue.
鈥淭hey're playing political football with people's lives and I think that's fundamentally wrong, especially if you're withholding the most basic resources. But the federal government does need to take responsibility, because on a broader level, this isn't just happening in Toronto,鈥 she said, noting refugees and asylum seekers are being stranded in other major cities as well.
Tabasinejad agreed. She said a multi-pronged response involving all levels of government is needed.
鈥淏ut I do think that especially the federal and the provincial government, because they're so removed from what's happening day-to-day on the local level, they need that extra push to be able to provide funding and assistance to the city in order to respond to the magnitude of the problem,鈥 she added.
launched a petition this week, specifically . As of Friday, it had received more than 1,700 signatures.
On Wednesday, .
Chow said Ottawa is 鈥渘ot paying a cent right now for refugees鈥 housing,鈥 but wants to 鈥渞emain hopeful鈥 that the federal and provincial governments will come to the table to solve the issue.
In an emailed statement, Ontario鈥檚 Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said the province provided more than $96 million in funding last year to more than 150 organizations across Ontario that deliver a range of services to help refugees and other newcomers learn English or French, settle, access training and find jobs.
However, the ministry said resettlement and support of refugees and asylum seekers is 鈥渁 federal responsibility,鈥 adding that it continues to advocate to the federal government 鈥渇or Ontario鈥檚 fair share of funding under the National Housing Strategy.鈥
IRCC said it understands this situation is 鈥渋ncredibly difficult and empathizes with those involved鈥 and is committed to collaborating with its provincial and municipal partners to help 鈥渁lleviate the pressures鈥 they are facing.
The federal department said it鈥檚 currently trying to provide temporary accommodations to asylum seekers. As of July 3, it said 3,536 hotel rooms were dedicated for these individuals in six provinces.
Meanwhile, refugees who arrive in Canada through resettlement programs are eligible for 12 months of income support from the federal government, along with temporary accommodation and assistance in finding permanent accommodation, IRCC noted.
In the meantime, advocates say they鈥檙e concerned about the wellbeing of the unhoused newcomers.
Moving to a new country can be an 鈥渦nsettling experience,鈥 but for a refugee or asylum seeker who has fled war or persecution in their home country, it can be extra difficult to feel safe and settled, Tabasinejad said.
Having no access to basic necessities like shelter, food and water 鈥 while exposed to , including extreme heat, rain and poor air quality in Toronto due to wildfire smoke 鈥 only makes matters worse for those individuals, she said.
McNally seconded that, saying she鈥檚 concerned about the health and safety of these newcomers, some of whom are turning up at emergency rooms to seek help.
鈥淭here's a huge toll on people's health and welfare when they're exposed to heat like this, and especially if they're not able to access nutrition and water. So, dehydration, heatstroke, these are major concerns that I have for these folks,鈥 she said.
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