By Lindsay Shepherd
Asylum seekers crossing the US-Canada border illegally via Roxham Road are straining resources in Quebec and Ontario, but the governments of BC and Alberta say they currently have no plans to take in any of these border crossers.
The mayor of Niagara Falls, ON has stated his city is overwhelmed after accepting nearly 3,000 relocated asylum seekers, who are living in hotel rooms paid for by the federal government.
In addition, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 702 asylum seekers have been bussed from Quebec into Ottawa, 618 to Windsor, Ontario, and 1,396 to Cornwall, Ontario. Furthermore, transfers to the Maritimes have just begun – 63 asylum seekers are now in Halifax, Nova Scotia and 30 are in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
Quebec is spending $20 million per month on asylum seekers’ social benefits, the province says. In the year 2022, nearly 38,000 asylum seekers were receiving welfare cheques from the province of Quebec, most residing in Montreal.