We Could Save $135 Million A Year.......

...by not allowing them to enter the country. We welcome immigrants to Canada and have sympathy for those who face danger in their home countries but people entering the country illegally for economic reasons is a joke. Refugees a drain Province spends $135M on 14,600

By TOM GODFREY, SUN MEDIA

Ontario taxpayers are paying a whopping $135 million a year to look after 14,600 refugee claimants on welfare and some provincial programs may take a hit due to rising costs, officials warn.

The funding for refugee claimants is such a hot topic that Immigration Minister Madeleine Meilleur sent a letter to federal Human Resources Minister Monte Solberg two weeks ago seeking financial help for Toronto, Windsor, Hamilton, Niagara and Peel for dishing out millions in care.

Some regions have been hit hard with hundreds of Haitians who are arriving from the U.S. to file claims at the Windsor border, officials said.

"The increase continues to strain social services in these areas and threatens to spill over into neighbouring municipalities," Meilleur said yesterday. "Other services are suffering, even though it is our priority to help newcomers."

She said the province dishes out $108 million a year and the city $27 million to look after the claimants, with more than 70% of those who arrive in Canada settling in Toronto

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