Bob Bratina Filomena Tassi and Operation Lifeline

Fred Eisenberger: McMeekin said he and local liberal MPs Bob Bratina and Filomena Tassi met with Mayor Fred Eisenberger Saturday to discuss plans and agreed to meet again as soon as the federal government unveils details of their plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada by the end of the year, according to Hamilton Spectator. The federal announcement is scheduled for Tuesday. But I think it will be similar a similar to Operation Lifeline , we took in about 300 families then." Refugees who call Hamilton home share their experiences And he hoping as many as half of those families can be privately sponsored. "Hamilton has a wonderful history of being there to help people in need like this, we've done it before," he added, again referring to Operation Lifeline. While there has been much speculation about the details of that plan, McMeekin said he less worried about the large scale logistics , than he is about the specifics of their lives once they arrive in Hamilton. He suggested there may be a special role for the French language boards, since many Syrian refugees may speak French. A long and dangerous road to Hamilton through bloodstained Syria "That why private sponsorships are so important – to help these families with acculturation." In addition to obvious issues with housing, McMeekin said education will be critical and the city will need to provide English as a second language training as well as schooling for the children by mid-January. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.