Cornwall mayor seeking help from feds with growing number of asylum-seekers needing support
Posted Feb 16, 2023 10:30:00 PM.
A growing number of asylum-seekers are ending up in Cornwall, and now the municipality's mayor is asking for the federal government's help as the city's resources have been stretched over the past few years.
Justin Towndale, the mayor of Cornwall, told The Sam Laprade Show on Feb. 16 that Cornwall is currently hosting around 800 asylum-seekers who have crossed the border into Canada from the United States.
The City of Cornwall administers programs that help asylum-seers while they wait for the hearing, and the City has had to shoulder half the costs.
“From our perspective, we feel the federal government is responsible for these costs because they have downloaded these services on to us, and we are helping immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and displaced people in our community, on their behalf.”
Towndale added that asylum-seekers are being housed in local hotel rooms, which are not available for tourists and the City of Cornwall is in danger of losing some annual conventions because there aren't enough hotel rooms.
“With about 500 hotel rooms, maybe a little more, off the market, we're going to be seeing an economic impact in that respect as well,” he said. “Our municipal accomodation tax, we are projecting a $300,000 loss for the year.”
Listen to the full interview with Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale below:
