Quebecers living near the Canada-United States border, where thousands of migrants have crossed irregularly into the country since 2017, will receive more than $400,000 to compensate them for increased traffic and noise.
An order paper tabled by the federal government last month projects 45 households near Roxham Road will divide up $405,000, with individual compensation based on each home’s proximity to the border.
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The document says eight homes will receive the maximum compensation of $25,000, 15 will receive $10,000, and 22 households in the outermost zone will receive $2,500.
The government has budgeted up to $485,000 for the payments, which includes a contingency fund in case more households are deemed eligible.
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Roughly 96 per cent of all migrants who have crossed illegally into Canada since 2017 have done so at Roxham Road, about 50 kilometres south of Montreal.
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A spokesperson for Border Security Minister Bill Blair says households along the once-quiet country road have had to contend with increased traffic, noise and the construction of temporary border security infrastructure since the migrants began arriving