Regina mayor says city can rise to challenge of Syrian refugee influx

As the end of the year approaches, there is still no word on how many Syrian refugees will call Regina home.

The federal government is sticking with its plan to bring 25,000 refugees to Canada by Dec. 31.

But the new Liberal government hasn’t yet provided details as to where those refugees will go and how many each province will be expected to welcome.

Premier Brad Wall has written a letter asking Ottawa to re-evaluate its plan. He believes the end of the year doesn’t provide enough time for all the security checks and balances to be met.

It is a sentiment echoed by Regina Mayor Michael Fougere.

“We just are concerned about ensuring that processing and security checks are done properly. Can it be done in that period of time? That’s the open question that we have.”

Fougere believes Regina and its support programs and agencies can rise to the challenge that new refugees may bring.

Refugees make up about 8.3 per cent of all immigrants to Saskatchewan. So far this year, the province has taken in 334 refugees, including 28 from Syria as of June 2015.

Community organizations across the province are holding meetings to prepare to help an influx of refugees