Ottawa Phasing Out Hotel Subsidies for Illegal Immigrants and Refugees by 2026

Ottawa is phasing out hotel subsidies for illegal immigrants and refugees, with local authorities being given the responsibility of finding “permanent, sustainable” housing for foreigners by 2026. “Funding in 2026 will be conditional on provincial and municipal investments in permanent transitional housing solutions for asylum claimants,” the immigration department wrote the Senate national finance committee, as first covered by Blacklock’s Reporter. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said the move will “transition the department’s response towards more effective and sustainable solutions.” It did not mention where local authorities could find permanent shelter for foreigners. Since 2017, IRCC has spent more than a billion dollars in direct subsidies for temporary shelter, including hotel rooms, the document noted. It said that historically, asylum claimants were expected to either find their own housing or access provincial and municipal shelters....