Toronto to receive nearly $100M from feds to help with refugee housing crisis

Toronto will receive nearly $100 million from the federal government to help fund housing solutions for refugees.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser confirms that Ottawa has approved an additional $210 million in funding into the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), of which $97 million will go to the City of Toronto.

“IHAP provides funding on a cost-sharing basis to provinces and municipalities for the costs of interim housing for asylum claimants,” reads a release from the federal government. “Today’s funding is in addition to the nearly $700 million already delivered through the program, including over $215 million for the City of Toronto.”

Newly installed Toronto mayor Olivia Chow pressed the government for an additional $160 million last week, calling the crisis a federal responsibility. The federal government said Friday that the responsibility of housing and support for asylum seekers lies with provinces and municipalities.

The city has been turning away refugees and asylum seekers from its at-capacity shelters since June, referring them to federal programs and arguing they needed more money from Ottawa to accommodate the influx.

On Monday night, a growing group of more than 200 refugees were moved to a North York church for shelter after spending days living on the sidewalk outside a downtown Toronto shelter intake office.

Doug Ford was in Niagara Region on Tuesday morning to make an announcement on tech-sector jobs and was asked about the ongoing refugee issue. Ford said the federal government needs to speed up getting newcomers work permits, in addition to any additional funding.

“Shelters are number one, working permits are number two,” said Ford. “They all want to work, the feds have to speed up the working permits.”

The Ontario opposition has called on the Ford government to do its part by reinstating the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB). The NDP is also asking for emergency funds from the province for mental and public health agencies to help newcomers to the province.

With files from CityNews reporter Kaitlin Lee