After a month of fear and uncertainty, some asylum seekers staying at a conference centre in Cornwall, Ont., have another 60 days to find alternative housing.
Robert Coulombe, executive director of the Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic in Cornwall, said representatives from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) told a community meeting on Thursday that the centre would remain open for its 66 identified clients but would not provide them with meals.
On July 3, IRCC informed Cornwall’s DEV Centre that it would not be renewing its contract for the conference centre, meaning everyone must vacate by July 31.
The ministry said 490 asylum seekers were living in DEV centres as of last week, but that number can fluctuate from day to day.
Coulombe said IRCC told the community meeting that 77 clients have either already left the centre or are planning to move to other IRCC-funded accommodation in Niagara Falls or Windsor.
“yesterday [July 30]”We witnessed the departure of the first buses bound for Niagara or Windsor, taking asylum seekers to an uncertain future. It was heartbreaking to witness,” DEV Centre president Jean-Pierre Poulin said in the letter.
Coulombe said IRCC had found housing options for around 400 other asylum seekers in Cornwall, but added that stakeholders in the area were concerned about their living conditions.
“We are concerned that IRCC’s definition of a ‘housed’ applicant will mean people will be couch surfing, living in their cars, in substandard accommodation or without suitable tenancies. This is not consistent with the promises IRCC has made to us as a city, nor is it a responsibility they owe to their applicants themselves,” a Cornwall City representative said in a media statement.
Coulombe said he has heard stories of people living in what’s known as “hidden homelessness.”
“It makes sense because it’s pretty amazing that 400 people would find accommodation within the community. [a] “For a short period of time,” he said.
He said his organization and other community groups would work to ensure that people who are left out of government-funded programs “are not left behind.”
Economic impact
In her letter, Ms Pauline said almost half of asylum seekers were working full or part-time in Cornwall.
“I’m not sure the city, business owners and the community at large understand the impact this decision will have on Cornwall and the region’s overall ecosystem and future growth and prosperity,” he said.
He added that if the programme had ended as scheduled on Wednesday, more than 70 employees at the DEV centre would have been laid off, indirectly affecting the jobs of 200 others.
Sonia Behiril, executive director of the Ontario SDG Francophone Community Association, who helped facilitate Thursday’s community meeting, said Cornwall has suffered from a labor shortage for years.
“Several [businesses] “Previously, we would bus people in from Montreal or bring people in from other countries to work,” she said, “so these people who arrive are helping to fill that need and having a direct impact on our economy.”
Coulombe said the rapid changes to the program will create new challenges for the community.
“[The IRCC program has] “This program has been good for the region and will have a positive impact on the local economy for a long time,” he said, “but the way it ended has put a lot of pressure on many organisations and services in the region, which was unnecessary.”
