It’s not just that Toronto’s shelters are full — with 2,600 or 39.2% of the spaces occupied by refugees, er asylum seekers, irregular migrants (whatever we’re calling them today.)
But according to city spokesman Natasha Hinds Fitzsimmins Tuesday, some 18-20 are arriving in the city per day, mostly from Nigeria.
According to Hinds Fitzsimmins, the federal government procured two hotels in Peel and York to house the irregular (a.k.a. illegal) migrants who were placed in the Centennial and Humber college dorms earlier in the summer.
As reported by Canadian Press, the federal government has extended their hotel stay four weeks beyond the original deadline of Sept. 30 because they have yet to come up with a more long-term approach that would send the refugees to communities beyond Toronto.
There are also 1,719 irregular (illegal) migrants/refugees/asylum seekers in Toronto hotels, including 577 housed at the Radisson Toronto East hotel in 146 rooms (the hotel has 240 rooms in total).
The reputable Tripadvisor website has been inundated in the past few weeks with scathing reviews of the hotel, calling it a “zoo, filthy, noisy and dangerous” with the lobby full of loitering refugees and halls containing graffiti and garbage.
Every paying visitor on Trip Advisor has claimed they did not know and were not told that 61% of the hotel is being occupied by refugees.
On Tuesday, one visitor from Virginia —calling the three-star hotel a “disgrace” —claimed that animal services needed to be called on the second night he was there because “some goats were being slaughtered” in the public bathrooms.
The visitor said gunfire was also heard outside the hotel that same night.
(Believe me I can’t make this stuff up!)
Asked what the city has spent to date housing irregular migrants/refugees/asylum seekers, Hinds Fitzsimmins said the costs from November 2017 to the end of this year will likely be “in excess” of $64.5-million.
She said the city doesn’t know how much more at this time, although I would bet that number is being kept quiet until after the Oct. 22 election—especially considering Toronto council and the mayor helped exacerbate the problem by very publicly reaffirming (to all who would listen) in early 2017 that Toronto is a Sanctuary City.
Up to now the city has only received $11-million from the feds to help defray the costs.
