“It felt like a third-world country, but it was downtown Toronto."
January 30, 2025 6:58 AM   Subscribe

 
Things for the links Kitteh. The first one is a hard read, but the second one was uplifting. I mean both show us that people haven't given up fighting for those who have nothing.

I haven't lived in Toronto for a long time, and I was shocked by the encampments on my last visit. I didn't realize that refugees and asylum seekers were a large part of what's driving the crisis.

I'm not generally a doom and gloom person, even in the face of our contemporary political reality. What does trouble me though, is that I feel like when I was young, politicians spoke of wanting to end poverty and taking care of the disadvantaged. Now the people we vote for offer the status quo, and the other guys want to burn democracy to the ground.

I suppose some things are better. Class warfare has always been with us. But this is a pretty bleak fucking chapter.
posted by Alex404 at 12:59 PM on January 30 [5 favorites]


Thanks for posting this kitteh. I had no idea refugee claiments were just walking out of the airport with no support and nowhere to go. Back when the Syrian refugees came and even before that, I remember that if a persona/family/group wanted to get together and sponsor a refugee family they were responsible for helping that family find a place to live, pay for their settlement costs, and help them navigate the bureaucracy. I thought at the time that when they said half the refugees were privately sponsored by Canadians and half were sponsored by the federal government, that that meant that the government was providing all these supports to the refugees they sponsored (though not necessarily in such a warm/social way). I had no idea government-sponsored meant "you're one your own."

I'm glad the welcome centre is there now, though I'm a little worried about how it says that the average stay in shelter hotels is 160 days (so presumably at least 10-25% stay even longer) but that the limit for the welcoming centre is 90 days. It seems like there's a bit of a gap there that somebody should be minding. But maybe since there's also wrap-around supports that the hotels wouldn't have, it's easier for people to get settled sooner.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 4:09 PM on January 30 [2 favorites]


I had no idea government-sponsored meant "you're one your own."

Government sponsored refugees apply at a Canadian embassy abroad to be admitted to Canada as a refugee. They get a solid package of federal/Québec government assistance - including a place to live, money and other basics - immediately upon arrival and for many months beyond. They are also made "permanent residents" upon entry.

The victim in this tragic story appears to have flown to Canada on a visitor's visa and then asked for refugee status on arrival. Such people are "refugee claimants" until they present their case to the Refugee Board, which takes several weeks to organize. Until they are recognized as refugees, they are eligible for only very limited emergency assistance.
posted by senor biggles at 6:31 AM on January 31 [3 favorites]


Thanks for clarifying Senor Biggles.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:07 PM on February 1 [2 favorites]


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