TORONTO - It would end up costing taxpayers more than $300,000 a month in welfare payments if all 492 Tamil migrants who landed in British Columbia last week settled in Ontario.
And Toronto officials say there's a network of shelters to house those who come to the city.
"We have shelters across the city that can be used for emergency housing," said Councillor Janet Davis, chairman of Toronto's community development and recreation committee. "We have a mature and comprehensive range of services that will be available."
She said the city accepts about 50,000 newcomers yearly and some of the Tamils may end up staying with members of their community.
"We have a system in place to accommodate newcomers," Davis added. "We are working to help refugees and immigrants obtain housing, employment and training."
In Ontario, welfare payments start at $585 a month -- the amount paid to a single person with no kids. The stipend increases, based on the number of people in a family.
In addition to welfare, Tamil refugee claimants will be able to apply for federal benefits that include a Universal Child Care Benefit of $100 a month for each child under the age of six, according to the federal government.
They are also eligible for a federal Child Tax Benefit and the National Child Benefit Supplement, so a couple with one child can get $327.66 per month, on top of $1,058 they receive under Ontario's welfare system.
A Toronto immigration lawyer's estimate said the claimants can receive welfare for up to 18 months until their cases are heard.
It will also cost about $22 million for Ontario Legal Aid Plan lawyers to help the migrants with their cases.
About 90% of Tamils are accepted as refugees by an Immigration and Refugee Board.
IRB spokesman Melissa Anderson said 100 migrants were to appear before an adjudicator in B.C. on Wednesday.
None of the claimants have been released, but children and women are expected to be freed first, Anderson said.
Canadian Tamil Congress spokesman Manjula Selvarajah said a number of Toronto families have opened their homes to the migrants.
"We are very thankful," Selvarajah said. "A number of them (refugee claimants) will be staying at peoples' homes when they arrive here."
- With files from Brian Lilley
