By Canadian Press

Ottawa pledges $362 million to provinces, cities to temporarily house asylum seekers

Jan 31, 2024 | 2:10 PM

OTTAWA — The federal government is pledging an additional $362 million to help provinces and cities temporarily house asylum seekers.

Immigration Minister Mark Miller announced the top-up to the federal interim housing assistance program on Parliament Hill earlier today.

He says Ottawa sees an immediate need to provide support that reflects the impact of asylum claims across the country, but that longer-term changes are needed.

As of last week, about 7,300 asylum claimants in need of housing were staying in 4,000 hotel rooms in six provinces.

Miller says the city of Toronto will get a “significant amount” of the new money.

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He says the program is far from perfect and it’s a short-term response to record numbers of asylum claims.