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 A young woman is searched by a Canadian border guard after arriving on the MV Sun Sea with an estimated 490 suspected Tamils refugees at Esquimalt, B.C., on Vancouver Island on Friday. (Reuters) |
TORONTO - Ontario taxpayers may get hit with millions of dollars worth of welfare and legal aid payments for the Tamil migrants who arrived in B.C. by ship, lawyers and aid workers say.
Members of the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC) said about half of the 490 migrants have family members in Toronto and want to be near their community for legal and social support as they pursue refugee claims.
Congress lawyers are trying to have the refugee cases heard in Toronto.
The claimants will be eligible for work permits, welfare payments, partial health and dental coverage, and subsidized housing while their claims are being heard, Toronto lawyers said.
Carole Simone-Dahan, of Ontario Legal Aid, said the Tamils can apply for aid if they're claimants in Ontario and are financially eligible.
Some immigration lawyers estimated it could cost taxpayers about $22 million in legal aid for lawyers to represent the migrants.
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CTC lawyer Gary Anandasangaree said it is expected the 63 women and 49 children will be released once their identities have been determined.
"The process is grinding and extremely slow," Anandasangaree said from B.C. on Tuesday. "These people have been through hell and back and the experience has been overwhelming for them."
He said many arrived with no documents and with only the clothes on their backs.
"They are happy to be in Canada," he said. "For many the journey on the ship was minor compared to the lives they're leaving behind."
CTC spokesman Mathan Thava said more than 160 Toronto residents have called trying to locate relatives who may have been on the MV Sun Sea.
"We don't have a list of names of the people on board the ship," Thava said. "We know they haven't been in touch with their families at home."
He said many Toronto Tamils have volunteered their homes or apartments for use by the migrants.
"Many people want us to help accommodate them when they get to Toronto," Thava said. "The support from our community has been great."
Sandy Mangat, of the Ontario ministry of community and social services, said anyone is eligible for welfare once they're in Canada legally.
"They can apply for assistance while going through with their refugee claim," Mangat said. "If the federal government determines they (Tamils) have status they can come to Ontario and claim social assistance."
She said the migrants must prove they have no assets or income. The welfare payments are split 80-20 with the city. The province pays the largest share.
Melissa Anderson, of the Immigration and Refugee Board, said an adjudicator has ruled the media can cover the hearings if they don't identify the claimants.
tom.godfrey@sunmedia.ca
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Here's a sampling of the basic maximum welfare payments in Ontario. The figures include allotments for basic needs and shelter allowances:
* Single person with no children -- $585 monthly
* Single person with one child 17 or under -- $913 monthly
* Single person with two kids 17 or under -- $961 monthly
* Single person with two dependent adults -- $1,303 monthly
* Couple with no children -- $1,010 monthly
* Couple with one kid 17 or under -- $1,058 monthly
* Couple with two children under 17 -- $1,112 monthly
* Couple with two dependent adults -- $1,400 monthly
Source: City of Toronto