A group of refugee advocates is urging the provincial government to stay engaged in ``intergovernmental collaboration'' on the refugee and asylum seeker issue.
This comes as the crisis nears a critical point in Toronto. On August 9th, about 800 refugee claimants and asylum seekers being housed at college residences, will be forced to leave to make way for students returning to campus for the new school year.
Francisco Rico-Martinez of the Ontario Coalition of Service Providers for Refugee Claimants says it's inhumane to risk making refugee claimants homeless to make a political statement.
And the group is also demanding that Ottawa commit federal resources to relieve overcrowding in Toronto's shelter system.
According to the Toronto Sun, the Doug Ford Government says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should pay for the "mess" he made when he encouraged people to cross the border illegally.
Last year, in a tweet that made international headlines, Trudeau welcomed those fleeing persecution and war in the wake of President Donald Trump's ban on refugees from several Muslim countries.
“This has resulted in a housing crisis and threats to the services that Ontario families depend on,” a spokesman for Ford told the Sun, “This mess was 100% the result of the federal
government, and the federal government should foot 100% of the bills.”
The Sun also noted that Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod, who’s responsible for immigration issues, added that the Ontario government will not pick up the tab for people who have since entered the country at illegal crossings.
With Files from The Canadian Press