Advocates challenge false claims about Canadian refugee income

A retired refugee specialist with the Catholic Diocese of London is concerned an inaccurate email circulating since 2014 is leading to incidents of hate in Windsor and Essex County.

The email falsely claims that refugees earn more each year than Canadian seniors living on pension income.

Immigration Canada has refuted the claims, but Sister Helen Petrimoulx told several people at a meeting in Windsor Monday night that she had seen signs in Essex County perpetuating the falsehood.

"Their yearly income for a single refugee is $6,960. A far cry from the $28,920 in these emails," she explained.

Petrimoulx discussed the email during an event sponsored by Assumption University at the Hospice of Windsor and Essex County.

Refugee cap a barrier to generosity

She also spoke out against the federal government's new 1,000-person a cap on privately sponsored refugee applications.

The director of the Refugee Ministry of the London Diocese in Windsor said his organization already has 401 applications, but will only be allowed to process 157 this year because of the new limit.

"The cap is a barrier to the generosity of Canadians and the refugees that have come before and who badly wanted to be joined by the loved ones who were left behind in the same conditions they were in," said Gilbert Iyamuremye.

The director added the refugee ministry has received four times more sponsored refugee claims last year than they do in a typical year.