20151125_ca_calgary

Page 1

Kensington $599,000 FROM

+gst

Luxury Townhomes

3 & 4 Bedrooms | Up to 1967 Developed Square Feet Call

403.249.8003 or Visit Sarina.ca

Calgary

Stuck in a stinky cab?

TAXI Ellen has advice metroVIEWS

Your essential daily news | Wednesday, November 25, 2015

High -1°C/Low -9°C Sunny

Liz brown/metro toronto

Rick Eglinton/Torstar news service file

‘It’s part of who we are’ Syrian Refugees

in Canada

Nenshi says Calgary ready to welcome Syrians Brodie Thomas

Metro | Calgary

Melita’s Story Arrival in Canada, 1993.

New hometown of Oakville, Ont., 2015.

Metro’s Melita Kuburas arrived in Canada as a refugee

22 years ago. Today people ask her, Why the rush to bring in so many Syrians? — ‘As if anybody deserves to spend another night on a dirt floor.’ her full story in metronews

The plan is now in place to accept Syrian refugees to Calgary, and Mayor Naheed Nenshi said he keeps hearing from citizens who want to help. At a press conference Tuesday, he spelled out the three ways Calgarians can help: Sponsor a family, donate money or volunteer time. More details on how to do those things are online at calgary.ca/syria. Nenshi spoke about Calgary’s long tradition of bringing refugees into the city, noting it has been 60 years since Calgary

welcomed Hungarian refugees. “This is what we do,” said Nenshi. “It’s part of who we are as a people. It’s part of our tradition and I’m deeply proud to continue this tradition.” Calgary Catholic Immigration Society CEO Fariborz Birjandian said the society already settles about 1,000 refugees every year, so accepting 1,300 Syrians will not be a problem because networks are already in place. “We really are one of the cities that have a reputation as a good place to go for refugees,” he said. Nenshi said assisting people with mental health issues fleeing a war zone will be important, and formal assistance will be available. “In addition to formal mental health interventions, the most important mental health intervention we can do for these folks is to be welcoming,” said the mayor.

More coverage on pages 18-19 & 27


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.