Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

Flights For Syrian Refugees To Canada To Start Dec. 10, Document Says

The Canadian Press, 02 Dec, 2015 11:15 AM
    OTTAWA — The first planes carrying Syrian refugees from camps overseas are expected to arrive at two of Canada's busiest airports late next week.
     
    A federal solicitation document posted Monday names Dec. 10 as the date when the first flights are planned to carry refugees from camps in Jordan and Turkey to Canadian soil.
     
    The document says those flights could continue until the end of March.
     
    The federal government plans on bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of February, with 10,000 of them arriving by the end of this month.
     
    The first group will be made up largely of privately sponsored refugees, many of whose files have been in the works for months as churches and other community groups moved to assist some of the most vulnerable people fleeing the Syrian civil war.
     
    The plan is bring those refugees into Canada on commercial flights, with military airplanes available every 48 hours if necessary in case commercial jets aren't available.
     
    The solicitation document posted Monday asks for interested air carriers to get in touch with the government by the end of this week, with the deadline landing six days before the first flights are supposed to leave from one of two cities in Turkey — Adana and Gaziantep, which is about 100 kilometres north of the Syrian city of Aleppo — and from Amman, Jordan. The flights will land at either Toronto's Pearson airport or Montreal's Trudeau airport and continue until at least Feb. 29, 2016, "but may be required later."
     
    Each aircraft has to seat at least 200 and fly direct between the locations.
     
    The document says the number of people on each flight will vary and the exact schedule, including days and times for flights, haven't been set in stone.
     
    Approximately 15,000 of the 25,000 Syrian refugees who will arrive in Canada in the coming weeks are being resettled by the federal government. They will go to dozens of municipalities across the country.
     
    The federal government estimates it will cost $678 million over the next six years to bring the refugees to Canada and help them settle. That figure doesn't include additional funding that could be necessary for provinces and territories.
     
    More than 500 officials have been assigned to work on the massive resettlement program, one of the largest of its kind in the world as it relates to the Syrian refugee crisis.
     
    Since the outbreak of the war there in 2011, the UN estimates some 4.2 million people have been displaced.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Now, Justin Trudeau's Liberals Must Put Money Where Mouth Is On Climate Change

    Now, Justin Trudeau's Liberals Must Put Money Where Mouth Is On Climate Change
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returns from an appearance at an international climate change conference with a simple question hanging over his head: What now?

    Now, Justin Trudeau's Liberals Must Put Money Where Mouth Is On Climate Change

    High Court Agrees B.C. Man's Rights Violated, But Grants Crown Appeal

    High Court Agrees B.C. Man's Rights Violated, But Grants Crown Appeal
    VANCOUVER — A new trial has been ordered for a southeastern B.C. man after the province's highest court overturned a judicial stay of proceedings in a case of criminal negligence causing death.

    High Court Agrees B.C. Man's Rights Violated, But Grants Crown Appeal

    PM Justin Trudeau Said Willing To Look At That Voting Ban For Long-Term Expats

    PM Justin Trudeau Said Willing To Look At That Voting Ban For Long-Term Expats
    In an interview from the U.K., Laura Bailey says she met Trudeau at a reception at the Canadian High Commission on Nov. 25 as he moved through the crowd and shook his hand.

    PM Justin Trudeau Said Willing To Look At That Voting Ban For Long-Term Expats

    Former Tory James Moore Opposed As Next Chancellor Of B.C. University

    The petition, posted Friday by an anonymous senator from the Prince George, B.C.-based university, had topped 1,000 signatures by early Tuesday.

    Former Tory James Moore Opposed As Next Chancellor Of B.C. University

    Governor General David Johnston Calls Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A 'Defining Moment' For Canada

    Governor General David Johnston Calls Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A 'Defining Moment' For Canada
    OTTAWA — Gov. Gen. David Johnston issued a rallying cry Tuesday for Canadians to welcome refugees who are fleeing the conflict in Syria, calling Canada's response to the crisis a "defining moment" for the country.

    Governor General David Johnston Calls Arrival Of Syrian Refugees A 'Defining Moment' For Canada

    Federal Shortfalls On Track To Be $10.8 Billion Bigger Than Forecasts: Watchdog

    Federal Shortfalls On Track To Be $10.8 Billion Bigger Than Forecasts: Watchdog
    The government is on track to deliver annual shortfalls that will be as much as $10.8 billion higher than expected, the parliamentary budget office said Tuesday.

    Federal Shortfalls On Track To Be $10.8 Billion Bigger Than Forecasts: Watchdog