As of March 25, 2024, the City of Toronto is grappling with a massive influx of refugees, supporting 12,295 individuals across its shelter system and other housing programs. Of these, over 50 percent—more than 6,300 people—are refugee claimants, many of whom have arrived from African nations amid deep poverty, political turmoil, and widespread discrimination.
The crisis began in May 2023, when Toronto’s already overburdened shelter system was hit with an unexpected surge of African refugees, multiplying the number of asylum seekers by more than 500 percent. With Toronto’s shelter system already stretched beyond capacity, the sudden influx overwhelmed existing resources and set off a cascade of challenges that neither the city nor the federal government was fully prepared to handle.
The scene outside Toronto’s Peter Street shelter in July 2023 starkly illustrated the city’s growing refugee crisis. Dozens of refugees, many from Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria, were left stranded on the streets as city officials and federal agencies squabbled over responsibilities. Refugees like Fatima Yusef, a Ugandan asylum seeker, found themselves caught in a bureaucratic nightmare. “We called the city, and when we talked to them they said to call the federal government, but when we call them they tell us to call the city,” Yusef recounted.
The inaction highlighted the glaring gap in support for refugees. When Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie announced that Toronto shelters would start turning away refugee claimants and referring them to federally funded shelters, the reality hit hard: there were no such shelters funded by the federal government. This lack of coordinated response between municipal and federal authorities left thousands of refugees without adequate support.
The surge in refugee claimants from African countries and other nations like Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, and Myanmar is driven by multiple factors—famine, civil war, climate change, and widespread discrimination, particularly against LGBTQIA+ individuals. Many African countries have introduced draconian anti-LGBTQIA+ laws, forcing people to flee for their lives.
According to the UN Refugee Agency, Canada received over 144,000 asylum claims in 2023—a record number that far surpassed previous years. However, the influx of refugees has exposed deep flaws in Canada’s refugee support system.
Canada’s refugee system differentiates between convention refugees—those invited to Canada by the federal government—and refugee claimants, or asylum seekers, who apply for protection after arriving. The latter group faces a lengthy and costly process, often lasting years, before they can access basic services such as healthcare. Without legal recognition, refugee claimants are left in limbo, dependent on overwhelmed municipal and provincial systems for their survival.
Despite Canada’s commitment as a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Refugees, the federal government has started deporting asylum seekers at a rapid pace. Between 2022 and 2023, Canada deported more than 23,000 undocumented migrants, spending over $111 million in the process.
Amid the systemic failures, Toronto’s Black community mobilized to provide urgent relief for stranded refugees. With the city’s shelter system unable to accommodate the influx, local Black churches opened their doors to the homeless.
Pastor Judith James of Revivaltime Tabernacle, Pastor Eddie Jjumba of Dominion Church International, and Nadine Miller, director of Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles, were among the leaders on the front lines. These churches, despite lacking sufficient resources, provided shelter, food, and support to hundreds of refugees. Pastor Eddie’s church alone housed over 215 refugees, many sleeping on the floor or in makeshift beds.
Pastor Judith recalled the emotional toll of the crisis, spending countless nights in her church with refugees who had fled unimaginable hardships, including political violence and persecution based on their sexuality. “Between July and September, we brought in over 1,000 people,” she said. “But we served over 4,000 because we were cooking and dropping off food at other locations.”
While the churches’ efforts were heroic, the financial toll has been devastating. Dominion Church incurred over $800,000 in eligible expenses, yet the City of Toronto could only reimburse just over 50 percent of that amount. Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles, now $1.5 million in debt, had to close its doors to refugees by the end of October 2023, although they continue to support some individuals discreetly.
Despite this, the pastors and their congregations have no regrets. “We are laser-focused on making sure this does not happen again,” said Pastor Judith.
The community’s collective response also exposed the glaring inequities faced by Black refugees. As Pastor Eddie poignantly observed, “If all those refugees sleeping on your church floor and on the street had been white people, how long do you think it would have taken the government to act?”
In response to the escalating crisis, the federal government pledged $22 million in upfront funding to support the establishment of a new refugee reception centre in Peel Region. However, the amount falls far short of what is needed, and negotiations between federal, provincial, and regional governments continue. The federal government insists on its contribution, but Peel Region refuses to open the reception centre until it is fully funded and sustained annually.
Meanwhile, as political leaders debate funding and responsibilities, refugees continue to arrive on Toronto’s streets, and winter is approaching. The question remains: will enough be done to prevent further tragedies?
The refugee crisis in Toronto highlights the critical need for systemic reform in Canada’s immigration system. As Black community leaders continue to provide support with limited resources, the federal and provincial governments must work together to implement long-term solutions that address both the immediate needs of refugees and the structural inequities that put their lives at risk.
With more refugees on the way, Toronto’s future depends on whether Canada can rise to the challenge and provide the compassionate, coordinated support that these asylum seekers so desperately need.
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