Syrian Refugees and John McCallum

Canadian cities: CBC Forum: How should Canada approach language and immigration Government-assisted refugee arrivals paused in more Canadian cities Waiving of travel costs for Syrian refugees created 2-tier system How Canada and U.S. refugee processes compare "Those who are waiting for privately sponsored refugees, during the period in which they wait, would be open to receiving government-assisted refugees," said John McCallum, minister of citizenship, immigration and refugees, on Wednesday. "Now, all I have to do is get my massive department to do it." Church groups in Ottawa are also considering taking similar action and say more than 100 groups are willing to help out with government-sponsored refugees, according to CBC. But they are waiting on details on how the plan would work and who would pay for what in terms of housing and other support. A pilot project with Lifeline Syria, a sponsoring agency in Toronto, could reduce the number of government-sponsored refugees being housed in hotels as settlement agencies struggle to find homes for them in tight housing markets such as Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Refugees John McCallum said Wednesday that he is going to shift some of the refugees who have yet to be housed to private sponsors, who say they are able to set them up in housing immediately. McCallum said his officials have agreed and will now divert some of the new arrivals to smaller centres in places such as New Brunswick, Quebec and Saskatchewan. "There are many places in Canada that are crying out for refugees," McCallum said. Settlement agencies in Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and Vancouver are all struggling to try to find adequate housing for the thousands of government-sponsored refugees who have arrived in Canada during the past month and have asked for a temporary delay in accepting new refugees. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.