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'We're close to the limit': Big O becomes a shelter as refugees flow from U.S.
Montreal Gazette ^ | August 2, 2017 6:13 PM EDT | Montreal Gazette

Posted on 08/02/2017 4:06:12 PM PDT by rarestia

An increasing wave of Haitian refugee claimants forced officials to open a temporary shelter in the Olympic Stadium Wednesday while scrambling to keep up with a demand that shows no signs of slowing down.

The first busload of asylum seekers arrived at the stadium early Wednesday morning. About 150 beds had been set up over the weekend.

Francine Dupuis, who oversees PRAIDA, a government-funded program to help refugees get on their feet in Quebec, said the number of refugee claimants in recent months is unprecedented.

Most of the current arrivals are Haitians fleeing the United States because they fear their temporary resident status in that country will be revoked. Hoping to find connect with Montreal’s deep-rooted Haitian community, they’re crossing the border into Quebec.

“It’s unheard of,” Dupuis said. “In 30 years, I’ve never seen this kind of volume or intensity.”

Dupuis said about 90 per cent of asylum seekers coming into Quebec are now Haitian. In July, PRAIDA received 1,200 new requests, she said, close to four times more than an average month.

“We’re doing our best, but obviously there’s going to be a limit. And we’re close to that limit.”

The situation started in May when United States President Donald Trump threatened to remove the temporary protected status granted to nearly 60,000 Haitians living in the country. The status had been granted in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti.

In a series of Tweets, Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre welcomed the refugees on Wednesday, calling the effort a “humanitarian gesture.”

Coderre said the city was working closely with the provincial and federal governments on the issue, and called the situation “another consequence” of Trump’s immigration politics. The city of Montreal did not return the Gazette’s interview requests on Wednesday.

Provincial government officials will be holding a press conference Thursday to address the situation.

“But I don’t think anybody has the answers,” Dupuis said. “Nobody knows when it’s going to stop. At one point I think the government will have to make a decision — do we continue to receive them, and if we do, where are the resources going to come from?”

Marjorie Villefranche, director general of the community centre Maison d’Haiti, said she started hearing from Haitian families in New York and Florida as early as May.

“They’ve been panicking,” Villefranche said. “They’re vulnerable people who do not want to return to Haiti because of how difficult a situation it would be for them. They prefer to try their chances in Canada.”

Figures compiled by the Canadian Border Services Agency indicate Quebec has become Canada’s main entry point for refugees. The CBSA figures show that of the 4,345 people who either sought asylum at border stations or were intercepted by police while trying to enter Canada in the first six months of 2017, 3,350 were recorded in Quebec.

PRAIDA offers medical, nursing and psychosocial services to asylum seekers, hosting them in a dozen locations across Montreal — in empty schools, rehab centres, hotels and YMCAs — while helping them with the required paperwork for refugees.

Running out of other options to keep up with the recent surge, the agency reached out to the Olympic Stadium for help.

Olympic Park spokesperson Cédric Essiminy said stadium officials were approached on Friday about the idea of hosting refugees for the next couple of months.

He said they were happy to participate in the effort.

As of Wednesday morning, the stadium had 150 beds set up in a communal space in its western hall, where caregivers will be using a nearby concession stand to prepare and distribute food. Refugees will also have access to roughly 20 showers in an unused team locker room in the basement. Essiminy said the space could accommodate up to 450 beds.

Hosting the refugees will not affect any of the stadium’s activities, Essiminy said.

The same space in the stadium was used for H1N1 vaccinations in 2009. It was also set up, beds and all, to host people from the neighbourhood who were without electricity during the 1998 ice storm, but ended up not being used when power was restored.

“We don’t have any experience with this kind of thing specifically, but we can be a good host,” Essiminy said. “The Olympic Stadium is 40 years old. We’re used to being part of the history of Montreal, in any way whatsoever.”


TOPICS: Canada; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: haitian; maga; refugees; searchworks; winning
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Love to watch liberals twist in the wind as the stuff they claim to support starts to come to their neighborhood.
1 posted on 08/02/2017 4:06:12 PM PDT by rarestia
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To: rarestia

Is the stadium used for anything since the Expos left? Minor league baseball? Soccer? Canadian football?


2 posted on 08/02/2017 4:08:51 PM PDT by scrabblehack
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To: rarestia

Canada is welcome to all the Haitians they want.

The reason Haiti is such a mess is that it full of Haitians.


3 posted on 08/02/2017 4:09:25 PM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here Of Citizen Parents - Know Islam, No Peace -No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: rarestia

No. no, no. No limit por vous mon freres. Embrace your pinko suck.


4 posted on 08/02/2017 4:10:18 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either satire or opinion. Or both.)
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To: rarestia

We better get started on that northern border fence. Gonna need it reeeeal soooooooon


5 posted on 08/02/2017 4:14:03 PM PDT by eartick (Been to the line in the sand and liked it, but ready to go again)
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To: rarestia

In Quebec they have French in common.


6 posted on 08/02/2017 4:17:09 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: rarestia
do we continue to receive them, and if we do, where are the resources going to come from?”
They should ask the Clintons and the Clinton Foundation...But maybe they fear being murdered if they bring up anything about Haiti or Haitian relief funds.
7 posted on 08/02/2017 4:19:31 PM PDT by lewislynn ( Transgender: A person that thinks s/he's wrong side out.)
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To: rarestia

Canadians will be bred out of existence by refugees.


8 posted on 08/02/2017 4:21:04 PM PDT by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small fee)
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To: Liz; AuntB; La Lydia; sickoflibs; stephenjohnbanker; Tolerance Sucks Rocks; 2ndDivisionVet; ...

PING


9 posted on 08/02/2017 4:23:36 PM PDT by Tennessee Nana
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To: rarestia

Haitians? They come to Miami.


10 posted on 08/02/2017 4:26:38 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
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To: rarestia

More winning.


11 posted on 08/02/2017 4:26:55 PM PDT by kaehurowing
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To: rarestia
The status had been granted in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti.

Even California rebuilds quicker than that.

12 posted on 08/02/2017 4:33:55 PM PDT by j. earl carter
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To: rarestia

Yep. They all sound just thrilled about it.


13 posted on 08/02/2017 4:39:16 PM PDT by KyCats
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To: rarestia

Karma!


14 posted on 08/02/2017 4:41:28 PM PDT by Bernard Marx
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To: rarestia

I noticed comments at The Montreal Gazette seem to be closed.

I am guessing it was filled with Americans making fun of them for opposing sealing our border and promising to funnel as many illegals into Canada as are willing to go there as we throw them out.

Which is of course what I intended to say there as well.


15 posted on 08/02/2017 4:41:35 PM PDT by MrEdd (Caveat Emptor)
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To: Lurkinanloomin

I was just in Calgary and couldn’t believe all the...diversity.
Starting with the rudest driver I’ve EVER encountered.


16 posted on 08/02/2017 4:50:54 PM PDT by GnuThere
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

To: rarestia

Who remembers in South Florida having fruit trees in your front yard before the Haitians arrived and would drive up at night and began stripping all of the fruit from your trees? Oh, you could buy them back at the swap shop or some flea market later if you were lucky, no discount of course. Send them to Ontario.


18 posted on 08/02/2017 5:04:08 PM PDT by Caipirabob (Communists... Socialists... Democrats...Traitors... Who can tell the difference?)
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To: All
DONATE TO FR FIRST
Then Do The Rest


Click The Pic

19 posted on 08/02/2017 5:05:09 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo (MAGA!!!)
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To: ifinnegan

them dark dusky french chicks aint gonna, oh no you didn’t,,,yep


20 posted on 08/02/2017 5:22:29 PM PDT by aces
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