Ottawa ends funding for asylum seekers' hotel rooms after seven years, $1.2 billion
Federally funded hotels 'were always a temporary measure to support local shelter systems,' spokesperson says
The
federal government is on the verge of phasing out a program that sees
asylum seekers stay in hotels on Ottawa’s dime. Immigration, Refugees
and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has said that funding will end in
September.
According to IRCC, the government is currently housing close to 500 asylum seekers in five hotels in Ontario and Quebec, far fewer than the 2023 peak at hotels across Canada. It has spent more than $1.2 billion on temporary hotel housing since 2020. ---More...
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