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Independent topical source of current affairs, opinion and issues, featuring stories making news in Canada from immigrants, newcomers, minorities & ethnic communities' point of view and interests.

Resettlement Plan: Hotel and Toronto

resettlement plan: Carlos Osorio / Toronto Star File Photo The 1,200 refugees were sponsored by the federal government and were housed and fed at the North York hotel while awaiting permanent housing, according to Toronto Star. Since December 2016, the City of Toronto has leased the hotel on Wilson Ave., near Hwy. 400, to accommodate the overflow at its shelter system, spending 5 million on the service. For five months in 2016, the Toronto Plaza Hotel was a temporary home for at least 1,200 Syrian newcomers who arrived here as part of Canada's massive resettlement plan that would eventually see the country welcome 60,000 Syrians who fled civil war in their homeland.A group of Syrian refugee boys play soccer in the hallway at the Toronto Plaza Hotel, where they were being housed temporarily while awaiting permanent housing. Although the pending redevelopment means the city will lose as many as 199 rooms with a total capacity of up to 500 clients per night, the impact is not expected to be felt immediately. Article Continued Below If such a closure were to happen, the city does have contingency plans in place to address this, however, we do not anticipate this in the short term. The city is not aware of any imminent plans for the closure of the building or for a change in services from those currently being offered to the families staying in the hotel, said Greg Seraganian of Toronto Shelter, Support and Housing Administration. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.