Monday, September 14, 2015
City of London
Mayor joins national task force to deal with Syrian refugee crisis
London Mayor Matt Brown will join a national task force to help coordinate efforts of Canadian municipalities as they deal with the Syrian refugee crisis.
The Task Force on Refugee Resettlement was established yesterday at the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) conference in Fredericton NB to coordinate an effective response from the local government perspective.
The Task Force will allow municipalities to share information and best practices and provide an efficient way of coordinating with provincial, territorial and federal counterparts to meet immediate and urgent resettlement targets.
“I am looking forward to working with my colleagues from across Canada on this urgent initiative,” said Mayor Matt Brown. “We'll share ideas, coordinate our efforts and work together so we can provide assistance and support in the most effective way."
The Task Force initiative arose during a conference call Mayor Brown participated in with the FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus last week to discuss how they could coordinate efforts countrywide. Other members of Task Force will be announced later this week.
Mayor Brown and local faith leaders recently established a London-based fundraising campaign to settle Syrian families in the city. The campaign raised more than $41,000 in the first few days.
Many Canadian cities and communities have also taken action to raise funds to help with immigration and resettlement efforts during the crisis.
The FCM is the national voice of municipal government working to align federal and local priorities and recognizing that strong hometowns make for a strong Canada.
Media contact:
Rob Paynter
Director of Communications
City of London
rpaynter@london.ca
519-854-2873
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