I am disturbed that the Qualicum Refugee Sponsorship Group (QRSG) has settled on supporting a refugee family of eight people from a jungle camp in Thailand. I thought we were to support refugees from Syria.
These Myanmar (formerly Burma) people have been in camps in Thailand for 30 years. The parents of the five children were young children themselves when they entered the camp.
They have never lived in a house nor held a job. They have little to no education but perhaps after learning English they may find a minimum wage job.
Have the QRSG found any potential employers?
The town owned home proposed for them (formerly an office building) has beautiful ocean views, but can’t possibly be considered as long term accommodation.
There is no other accommodation in Qualicum Beach to house a destitute family of this size, so what happens when the federal monetary assistance ceases?
Why is Canada bringing in people with no chance to support themselves? Why is the Town of Qualicum Beach making this property available to them?
The mayor and council should consider the ramifications of trying to evict these people when they are unable to pay rent, taxes, insurance and utilities.
If Canada wants to bring in these kind of refugees, they should be placed in Ottawa under the watchful eye of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Minister of Immigration.
Please Mr. Mayor and QRSG, follow Parksville’s example. Bring in a husband and wife with maybe one child from Syria. They would have at least a reasonable chance to be useful Canadian citizens.
Ren OlsonQualicum Beach
