Quinte Immigration Services to welcome close to 600 Syrian refugees this year

By Cam Kennedy

BELLEVILLE – Quinte Immigration Services said it is set to welcome around 600 Syrian refugees to the Quinte region in the next 12 to 15 months.

The next group of refugees arriving will not be staying at CFB Trenton as originally planned, said Orlando Ferro, executive director of QIS.

The refugees “would be hosted in some of the local hotels for a period of maybe no longer than two weeks,” he said. “After, they would be moved to more permanent residences.”

Ferro said he has also reached out to local landlords and rental management companies to see if they have houses or apartments to rent beginning in March.

“It’s to make sure that when those families arrive, they won’t have to wait too long in temporary accommodations,” he said. “They would immediately be placed in more permanent residences.”

If a problem arises as far as finding places for the refugees to stay, Ferro mentioned that CFB Trenton is ready to host them.

Since 1986, QIS has been running as a non-profit charitable organization assisting immigrants coming to the Quinte area. It is funded by the federal and provincial governments, the United Way of Quinte and various charitable donations.