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Ontario mayors seek help, clarity from Ottawa to support Roxham Road asylum seekers

The leaders of Niagara Falls, Cornwall and Windsor say local supports are being stretched to capacity as migrants who crossed into Canada via Roxham Road arrive in increasing numbers.

Published Mar 8, 2023 at 2:06pm

The Canadian Press
By
The Canadian Press
Ontario mayors seek help, clarity from Ottawa to support Roxham Road asylum seekers
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, left, standing in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, advises migrants that they are about to illegally cross from Champlain, N.Y., and will be arrested, Monday, Aug. 7, 2017. (Charles Krupa/The Associated Press))

The mayors of three Ontario cities are calling on the federal government to help them support asylum seekers being transferred to their communities after entering the country through an unofficial border crossing in Quebec.

The leaders of Niagara Falls, Cornwall and Windsor say local supports are being stretched to capacity as migrants who crossed into Canada via Roxham Road arrive in increasing numbers. In addition to federal funding, they’re seeking clarity from Ottawa on what lies ahead.

“We need to know the plan,” Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati said in an interview. “Don’t just tell us the plan, let’s develop it together.”

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