Syrian refugees now in Toronto

The first planeload of Syrian refugees landed at Pearson Airport late Thursday night.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Kathleen Wynne were on hand to welcome the first two families from the plane that brought 163 Syrian refugees to Canada.

Trudeau and Wynne gave winter coats to the first two families who arrived.

They were joined by the federal ministers of immigration, health and defence, as well as Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, local mayors and opposition immigration critics.

“They step off the plane as refugees, but they walk out of this terminal as permanent residents of Canada with social insurance numbers, with health cards and with an opportunity to become full Canadians,” Trudeau said just before the plane’s arrival.

After landing in Toronto, the new arrivals were given warm coats, social insurance numbers and health cards after a security and health screening at a special airport terminal renovated for their arrival. After processing, they were bused to an airport hotel to rest.

Later Friday morning, the families will meet with their sponsors.

All of the Syrians who arrived yesterday are sponsored by private groups. Many of those groups had filed the necessary paperwork months ago in order to bring in some of the estimated 4.3 million displaced Syrians.

More than 400 refugees have already arrived on commercial flights since the Liberals took office on Nov. 4.

The 163 people who arrived Thursday will settle in the following Canadian cities, according to statistics released by the Immigration Department:

• 116 at new homes in the Toronto area.
• Four in Windsor, Ont.
• Four in Kelowna, B.C.
• Three in Coquitlam, B.C.
• One in New Westminster, B.C.
• 20 in Calgary.
• 15 in Edmonton.

A second flight is set to arrive in Montreal on Saturday.

Sources: Various

~Wakenya Canada