Toronto Pearson Airport and Catholic Centre for Immigrants

Carl Nicholson: Canada Governor General David Johnston Syrian refugee Osama and his baby daughter as they arrive at the Welcome Centre at Toronto Pearson Airport on Dec. 18, 2015. "We have a lot of families who are eight, seven , and our housing stock as a community is not strong on those sizes," said Carl Nicholson, executive director, Catholic Centre for Immigrants, which handles the settlement of government-assisted refugees in the national capital, according to Huffington Post Canada. In Ottawa, Vancouver, Toronto and Prince Albert, Sask., temporary accommodation is at or near capacity, prompting those cities to ask that the flow of cases be stopped or slowed until they can open up beds for more arrivals, immigration officials said Thursday. Curious about the new world around their family at the hotel they currently call home, the youngster pulled the fire alarm, sending hundreds of people out into a cold winter night. More children than expected are among many of the challenges facing the 36 cities currently accepting government-assisted Syrian refugees as efforts continue to settle 25,000 people in total by the end of February. The Immigration Department also included Halifax on that list, but groups there say they are managing the numbers coming in. Gerry Mills, director of the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia, recalls tearing up when he saw of the warehouse chockablock with clothing, coats, toys and other items. "People are looking for their place in the world." But it takes more than basic necessities to make a newcomer feel at home in a strange place, Mills said. "You've lost your family, you've lost your home, you've lost your job, you've lost your standing in the community," she said. "People are looking for their place in the world." Children are kept busy with crafts or trips to the library and skating rinks, she said, and are also learning about what to expect in a Canadian school. Rather, what been overwhelming has been the public support — so much so that the collection centre had to stop accepting donations. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.