The mayor of Niagara Falls is raising concerns about a potential hotel room shortage as a result of an influx of asylum seekers in the city.

 

Mayor Jim Diodati told CP24 Monday that there are about 16,000 hotel rooms in Niagara Falls and nearly 2,000 of them are being used by the federal government to accommodate asylum seekers who have crossed the border through an unofficial crossing at Roxham Road in  Quebec.

“We're happy to do our part. We know we're a nation of immigrants,” Diodati said.

He said church and service groups, such as food banks, have been stepping up with winter clothes and meals. Schools have also been absorbing some of the kids and working through ESL challenges, while other groups have been doing skills assessments to try find work for the newcomers.

“But the question is, as we’re coming up on our tourism season… what's going to happen to these asylum seekers and the rooms that they're renting right now?”

Diodati pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic “devastated” Niagara Falls, a city whose 95,000 residents rely heavily on tourism for their income, and the municipality is counting on the return of tourists to bolster its recovery.

He said there have also been concerns that some unhoused people who are sometimes put up in hotel rooms in the winter are being displaced.

“I received some calls that some of our local homeless are being displaced now to make room for some of the asylum seekers. And I don't think that's a good solution and hope can't be our strategy,” Diodati said.

He said he spoke last week with Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Sean Fraser and said he wants to know that there’s a plan to deal with the situation and that he wants the city to have a seat at the table in crafting it. He said he also wants to see some federal compensation for the money the region is spending to support asylum-seekers since it is an area of federal responsibility.

“We have to be proactive and that's all we're asking,” Diodati said. “We want to help with the solution. We understand it's a big challenge, and I feel for these people. I mean, we all came from somewhere and we want to help them. But bring us to the table, let us be part of (solving) the problem. Don't just leave it up to our community to solve this problem.”

He said the conversation with Fraser went well and he is hopeful that the federal government will listen.

“I had a great discussion with Mr. Fraser, he's terrific. He understands, he was open to hearing the frontline challenges that we're having and that's all I asked,” Diodati said. “I said ‘bring us in. We’re not here to complain, we're here to help.’”

He said the May 24 weekend is when the tourism season starts in the city and he’d like to see a plan in place before then.

Earlier this month, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told CTV News Toronto that they have transferred 2,841 asylum seekers to Niagara Falls out of the 5,557 claimants moved to Ontario. Others have been moved to Cornwall, Ottawa and Windsor.

The government said the move comes as they try to find places to put the growing number of asylum seekers who are crossing the border at unofficial points of entry.

“The world is facing unprecedented flows of migrants and refugees, and Canada is not immune to these trends,” the government said in a statement. “We work to ensure that those interested in coming to Canada use the regular immigration pathways and programs that are available to them.”

-          With files from CTV News Toronto’s Beth Macdonell