TORONTO — Mayor John Tory is stepping up when it comes to helping Syrian refugees coming to Toronto.
Tory held a meeting this morning at City Hall with interfaith leaders to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria.
READ MORE: Mayor John Tory to sponsor family of Syrian refugees, urges others to help
He said the purpose of the meeting was to work with leaders in the community to discuss how they can successfully help refugees coming to Toronto with their transition.
“Our focus this morning was on what we can do as a city, as a community but also as a city government,” Tory said.
“The city government has a lot to do with things that can help people settle productively and peacefully here in Toronto and become the kinds of contributing citizens they want to be.”
The interfaith leaders provided a list of suggestions to help accommodate refugees coming to the city, such as a possible housing registry, public health response and an insurance fund to backstop sponsorship.
The mayor also said he has also added the refugee crisis to the agenda of the big city mayors’ meeting later this month.
On the heels of the federal campaign trail, Tory said he wouldn’t comment on the larger debate around the Syrian refugee crisis.
“I’m not going to involve myself today … in the national debate that is happening on this,” Tory said.
“There are plenty of people participating in that already and I think my job here is to show leadership for this community with the help of all of these people.”
Last week, Tory said he was planning on sponsoring a Syrian family through the group Lifeline Syria.
The mayor is urging residents to welcome refugees to the community to create a safe space for those coming to Toronto.
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