Provincial support exceeds Canada's Syrian refugee target: immigration minister

Premiers across the country have indicated how many Syrian refugees their provinces will commit to taking in, and the total exceeds the federal government's goal of 25,000, Immigration  John McCallum said Friday.In Ontario alone, the goal is to welcome 10,000 Syrians by the end of 2016.

"A commitment doesn't mean those people's feet on Canadian soil, but it's an immensely good start to have such enthusiasm, not only in words, but in numbers," McCallum said.

The minister was speaking at an event in Toronto hosted by Humanity First, an international humanitarian relief organization, where he was joined by other speakers with expertise in the topic of refugee resettlement. All proceeds from the event will go toward assisting with the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Canada..

Vancouver real estate magnate offers up building for  refugee

Vancouver property developer Ian Gillespie is refurbishing and furnishing a 12-unit property in the city's West End in order to provide temporary accommodations for Syrian refugees.

Gillespie, founder of Westbank Developments, has offered the building to the Immigrant Services Society to be used as first-stop housing for refugees waiting for permanent homes in B.C.  

Fearful? Grow up

Gillespie said he has been disappointed by some negative reactions over the arrival of the refugees.

"Some of the dialogue you're hearing isn't particularly Canadian," he said, "I think a lot of people need to show some leadership and turn the conversation into a positive.

"We had a well-earned reputation for being good citizens. I think we lost some of that and have lost the concept of [us all] being immigrants. We are one of the most multicultural cities in the world."

Gillespie said we all have a responsibility to help, and that he hopes his company will be able to do more.

"And to those who might be fearful," he said, "grow up."