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Vancouver Sun
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Ottawa ends funding for asylum seekers' hotel rooms after seven years, $1.2 billion
The federal government is on the verge of phasing out a program that sees asylum seekers stay in hotels on Ottawa's dime. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has said that funding will end in September. According to IRCC, the government is currently housing close to 500 asylum seekers in five hotels in Ontario and Quebec, far fewer than the 2023 peak at hotels across Canada. It has spent more than $1.2 billion on temporary hotel housing since 2020. 'IRCC-funded hotels were always a temporary measure to support local shelter systems as the use of hotels is not a sustainable, cost-effective solution,' a spokesperson from the department told National Post in an email. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'IRCC will continue supporting provinces and municipalities in developing their own long-term housing strategies. This shift will reduce costs to Canadians and improve outcomes for claimants. The hotel plan began in 2018 with a pledge of $50 million to help provinces and municipalities deal with housing for asylum seekers. That included $11 million for the City of Toronto. 'We have a clear plan for managing asylum seeker pressures and continue to act to support our partners,' Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said at the time. 'Our largest cities have shown tremendous leadership in their response to the recent influx of asylum seekers. Toronto and Montreal, as major population centres, face the greatest challenges when it comes to housing asylum claimants, and we will continue to work with them to come up with long-term, workable solutions to those challenges.' Costs have skyrocketed since then. Government figures show that, in 2018-19, funding for the Interim Housing Assistance Program, or IHAP, amounted to $29 million for Ontario and Manitoba. The following year the program expanded to include Quebec and British Columbia, and the price tag was $342 million. Costs fell a little in future years, but in 2024-25, payments pending total $300 million. Asylum claims have also increased over the span of the program. In 2019, government figures show there were 64,000 asylum claims in Canada. That fell during the early years of the pandemic but rose to 92,000 in 2022, 144,000 the following year, and 173,000 last year. The government notes that, at its peak in late 2023, the federal hotel footprint included 46 sites from Vancouver to St. John's at an average cost of $205 per night. While stays were inherently temporary, it notes, there was no enforcement on length of stay. IRCC says its new plan involves reception centres that will provide immediate short-term housing and other services to asylum seekers; relocation to other jurisdictions, including other provinces with more affordable housing and jobs; and a plan for housing independence, in which claimants transition into receiving communities and jobs. 'Through early investments in IHAP, the federal government has already supported the opening of a reception centre in Peel and transitional housing options in Ottawa,' the spokesperson told National Post. 'Future IHAP investments will add more housing capacity for asylum claimants.' IHAP is no longer accepting new applicants for its hotel program, and has been winding it down in anticipation of the September end date, the spokesperson said. 'Since January 2024, IRCC has helped over 15,000 claimants transition to independent living, and it will continue to assist those currently on site with securing longer-term housing until September 30, 2025.' The spokesperson added: 'As of July 2025, IRCC has rooms leased in one hotel in Quebec and four hotels in Ontario, with a total of 485 asylum claimants. IRCC remains committed to supporting claimants during this transition, working with service providers to assist with housing, employment, and essential services.' Experts and advocates say that could be difficult in cities where demand is high. 'What they need to do is actually put something in place to make sure refugees don't fall on their face,' said Nadine Miller, executive director of Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles Church, which took in dozens of refugees in Toronto two years ago as shelters overflowed. 'We've been picking up the pieces since 2023.' Her suggestion: 'Get their paperwork processed faster. That's the biggest problem they're having. If you sit in a hotel for two, three, four months or even a year, and you don't have a work permit, what that does for you is you're no further than the day you came in.' — with files from Canadian Press Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
National Post
29-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Ottawa ends funding for asylum seekers' hotel rooms after seven years, $1.2 billion
The federal government is on the verge of phasing out a program that sees asylum seekers stay in hotels on Ottawa's dime. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has said that funding will end in September. Article content According to IRCC, the government is currently housing close to 500 asylum seekers in five hotels in Ontario and Quebec, far fewer than the 2023 peak at hotels across Canada. It has spent more than $1.2 billion on temporary hotel housing since 2020. Article content Article content Article content 'IRCC-funded hotels were always a temporary measure to support local shelter systems as the use of hotels is not a sustainable, cost-effective solution,' a spokesperson from the department told National Post in an email. Article content Article content 'IRCC will continue supporting provinces and municipalities in developing their own long-term housing strategies. This shift will reduce costs to Canadians and improve outcomes for claimants. Article content The hotel plan began in 2018 with a pledge of $50 million to help provinces and municipalities deal with housing for asylum seekers. That included $11 million for the City of Toronto. Article content 'We have a clear plan for managing asylum seeker pressures and continue to act to support our partners,' Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, said at the time. 'Our largest cities have shown tremendous leadership in their response to the recent influx of asylum seekers. Toronto and Montreal, as major population centres, face the greatest challenges when it comes to housing asylum claimants, and we will continue to work with them to come up with long-term, workable solutions to those challenges.' Article content Costs have skyrocketed since then. Government figures show that, in 2018-19, funding for the Interim Housing Assistance Program, or IHAP, amounted to $29 million for Ontario and Manitoba. The following year the program expanded to include Quebec and British Columbia, and the price tag was $342 million. Costs fell a little in future years, but in 2024-25, payments pending total $300 million. Article content Article content Asylum claims have also increased over the span of the program. In 2019, government figures show there were 64,000 asylum claims in Canada. That fell during the early years of the pandemic but rose to 92,000 in 2022, 144,000 the following year, and 173,000 last year. Article content The government notes that, at its peak in late 2023, the federal hotel footprint included 46 sites from Vancouver to St. John's at an average cost of $205 per night. While stays were inherently temporary, it notes, there was no enforcement on length of stay. Article content IRCC says its new plan involves reception centres that will provide immediate short-term housing and other services to asylum seekers; relocation to other jurisdictions, including other provinces with more affordable housing and jobs; and a plan for housing independence, in which claimants transition into receiving communities and jobs. Article content 'Through early investments in IHAP, the federal government has already supported the opening of a reception centre in Peel and transitional housing options in Ottawa,' the spokesperson told National Post. 'Future IHAP investments will add more housing capacity for asylum claimants.' Article content IHAP is no longer accepting new applicants for its hotel program, and has been winding it down in anticipation of the September end date, the spokesperson said. Article content 'Since January 2024, IRCC has helped over 15,000 claimants transition to independent living, and it will continue to assist those currently on site with securing longer-term housing until September 30, 2025.' Article content The spokesperson added: 'As of July 2025, IRCC has rooms leased in one hotel in Quebec and four hotels in Ontario, with a total of 485 asylum claimants. IRCC remains committed to supporting claimants during this transition, working with service providers to assist with housing, employment, and essential services.' Article content Experts and advocates say that could be difficult in cities where demand is high. Article content 'What they need to do is actually put something in place to make sure refugees don't fall on their face,' said Nadine Miller, executive director of Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles Church, which took in dozens of refugees in Toronto two years ago as shelters overflowed. 'We've been picking up the pieces since 2023.' Article content Her suggestion: 'Get their paperwork processed faster. That's the biggest problem they're having. If you sit in a hotel for two, three, four months or even a year, and you don't have a work permit, what that does for you is you're no further than the day you came in.' Article content
CBC
27-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Toronto city council sounds alarm on planned federal cuts to shelter funding program
Toronto council is sounding the alarm this week after a new report highlights major federal funding cuts that will hurt the city's ability to help newcomers who can find themselves relying on local shelters and other services. Gord Tanner, general manager of Toronto Shelter and Support Services, told councillors that the federal government's planned federal cuts to the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) will drop from 95 per cent this year to 75 per cent in 2026 and 50 per cent in 2027. The federal program is the main source of funding for Toronto's refugee response, and reimburses 95 per cent of the city's expenses, the city says. More than 12,000 people used the city's shelter facilities every day this winter, and 50 per cent of them were newcomers. Mayor Olivia Chow described the cuts as a "serious problem." Toronto brings in the most immigrants anywhere in Canada, according to the city staff report. The federal funding cut means the city's ability to help those newcomers will be diminished, the new report said. The report says the federal cuts are tied to levels in the immigration levels plan, with "a funding formula accounting for past arrivals and future admissions." This situation is even more in flux with a federal election underway. "I hope that every party that is running takes this refugee housing settlement services seriously," said Chow. Chow's motions to ask the federal government not to reduce funding for refugees in shelters over the coming years, to expand the definition of asylum claimants, and to establish a refugee housing benefit were approved at council on Thursday. Council discusses ombudsman's report Also on Thursday, Ombudsman Kwame Addo presented a report, originally released in December, that found the city's decision to stop allowing refugee claimants access to its shelter beds was anti-Black racism and "poorly thought out, planned for, and communicated." In presenting the report, Addo said he was proud of it and stood by his findings. He urged council members to adopt his 14 recommendations for the city, which were previously denied by city manager Paul Johnson when the report was released. "I do not agree with the findings," Johnson wrote in a letter to Addo in December. Among the 14 recommendations made by Addo, were: a clear process for documenting and communicating eligibility changes that affect refugee claimants, training for staff on the city's own anti-Black racism analysis tool and on housing as a human right, and strengthening accountability and oversight mechanisms to ensure decisions align with the city's previously-established commitments and policies. Coun. Chris Moise thanked the ombudsman for his report findings at council on Thursday "A Black man was writing this report, writing about the experiences of Black people who have been on the street, and having to come to council to talk about this issue from a distance, that's difficult," said Moise at the council meeting. WATCH | Refugees slept on Toronto sidewalks: Refugees forced to sleep outside after arriving in Canada 2 years ago Duration 2:03 Refugees and asylum seekers say they are being forced to sleep outside because of a lack of housing and adequate shelter space in Toronto. According to city officials, up to 45 per cent of newcomers who call the shelter intake system get turned away. In November 2022, the city decided to stop allowing refugee claimants access to general shelter system beds, the ombudsman report says. Oddo said on Thursday that the city's decision to stop allowing refugee claimants access to the shelter system went against the Ontario Human Rights Code. The city's decision was publicly announced six months later in May 2023. According to the report, staff and elected officials said at the time that refugee claimants would be referred to federal supports because of a lack of funding from the province and federal government. In June 2023, CBC Toronto reported refugees were sleeping on Toronto streets after being turned away from the city's shelter system. Addo said in his report that the refugees were predominantly Black and from African countries. A month later, city council amended its policy to ensure everyone "regardless of status" was able to access the shelter system when beds were available. "It is unacceptable that people arrive in Canada and wind up on a sidewalk in the rain," said Councillor Gord Perks at council on Thursday. "It's unacceptable that the City of Toronto didn't have in place the correct tools to be able to manage that."
