On Monday, a city committee heard from stakeholders involved in the process of settling the nearly 2,100 Syrian refugees brought to Edmonton in the past two years.
In late 2015, the Trudeau government committed to bringing in 25,000 Syrian refugees into Canada by the end of the year. By March 31, 2017, a total of 43,725 refugees had arrived in the country.
During this period, Alberta received just over 5,100 Syrians – representing 11.7 per cent of all that had arrived. Of those, Edmonton received 2,090 refugees in total, and more continue to arrive.
While initial interest in helping the Syrians settle was “often overwhelming,” interest in helping soon dropped, stakeholders found.
READ MORE: Edmonton program helps young Syrian refugees: ‘I didn’t know any English so I had no friends’
Watch below: On March 1, 2017, Sarah Kraus filed this report about a unique Edmonton program aiming to help young Syrian refugees improve their English and build their confidence.
The committee heard another concern involved the “significant” number of Syrian children that did not attend a school once arriving in Edmonton.
“Are there any kind of programs we can use to prep them for appropriate levels of education?” asked Ward 12 Coun. Moe Banga.
The committee session wrapped up with a motion for an annual city update to hear how the settlement program for Syrian refugees is coming along.
READ MORE: Edmonton agencies nearing 1 year anniversary of helping Syrian refugees
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