Ottawa Considering Buying Hotels to House Asylum Seekers Amid ‘Unprecedented Flows’

The federal government is considering purchasing hotels to house a growing number of asylum seekers, responding to “unprecedented flows” of migrants and refugees.
“Purchasing and converting hotels is an option being considered, among a number of others. Decisions and new developments would be communicated in due course,” an Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) spokesperson said in an email to The Epoch Times.
The IRCC said Canada is “not immune” to the global trend of migrants and refugees seeking out other countries, and said Ottawa is committed to working together with municipalities, provinces, and territories to respond.
“There is no simple solution but we are confident that, with everyone at the table, we can implement long-term, sustainable, and compassionate measures that will ensure that the most vulnerable newcomers have a roof over their heads,” the spokesperson said.
“This program is important because it gets shelters over people’s heads, particularly with the temperature that it is outside. But it needs reform, and that’s something that will have to be worked on … in the coming months,” Mr. Miller said at the time. “I think we owe it to Canadians to reform a system that has very much been a stopgap measure since 2017 to deal with large, historic flows of migration.”
The report said that while asylum claimants had previously been expected to find their own housing or use provincial and municipal shelters, the “higher volume of claimants” since 2017 necessitated the federal government stepping in.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also been criticizing the situation, saying he would tie the number of new immigrants coming into Canada with the availability of housing. He has also said he would reduce immigration numbers from their current level.
“It’s impossible to invite 1.2 million new people to Canada each year when we build 200,000 homes. It’s impossible. There is no place. Quebec is at the breaking point,” he said.