CORNWALL – The City of Cornwall said Wednesday that it’s not identified in a government list of 36 Canadian cities to house Syrian refugees.
The feds announced Tuesday plan to take in 25,000 refugees with the first 10,000 before the end of the year.
In Ontario, they will be going to Windsor, Ottawa, London, Toronto, Kitchener and Hamilton.
But that doesn’t mean Cornwall is out of the running for humanitarian aid.
The remainder would come by the end of February 2016.
“We fully expect to be sending refugees to more communities than this and that this list will grow. Many other communities have expressed an interest in welcoming Syrian refugees. We will be working with our partners to ensure that adequate supports are available or can be put in place in these communities before sending any refugees there,” said Remi Lariviere, spokesman for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, in a statement to Cornwall Newswatch.
Lariviere said it’s the government’s intent to have refugees evenly distributed across Canada.
A document obtained by CTV News last week had identified Cornwall as a potential location to house refugees, likely at the Nav Center.
“The announcement also made reference to the fact that 36 Canadian cities have been identified to assist with resettlement into their communities using existing Refugee Assistance Programs in those cities. The City of Cornwall was not identified as one of those 36 cities,” the municipality said in a statement.
For those still interested in sponsoring a refugee, you can go here for more information.
“The details surrounding this matter are changing rapidly and the City of Cornwall will provide additional updates to the public once new information becomes available,” the statement read.
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