Michael and Vera Ryan are spearheading an effort through St. Anne’s Catholic Parish to sponsor a refugee family to come to Osoyoos. Michael Ryan is a former Osoyoos town councillor. They are looking for community support. (Richard McGuire file photo)
A Syrian refugee family could arrive in Osoyoos as early as this month as the federal government implements its refugee settlement program, details of which were announced last week.
“They might come sooner rather than later, so we are gearing up for that,” said Michael Ryan, a former Osoyoos town councillor who is spearheading the Osoyoos Refugee Project with his wife Vera.
Last Tuesday the new government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced it is extending its timeframe to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada.
The government will now bring 10,000 refugees to Canada before the end of December and the remaining 15,000 before the end of February.
The original plan was bring in all 25,000 by the end of the year, but the government faced pressure to extend the deadline as a result of logistical challenges and heightened public concerns about security in the wake of the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris.
Significantly, a large number of the refugees coming in December will be privately sponsored refugees, such as the family the local group is sponsoring.
The Ryans said they have not received further word on when the family might be coming, but their committee is stepping up efforts to be ready in case the refugees arrive soon.
The family is currently in Lebanon, but the Canadian government plans to bring refugees in Lebanon through Jordan, where it is establishing a processing centre.
This family, like many others, was previously identified as especially vulnerable by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Osoyoos Refugee Project committee has been actively fundraising to raise the $30,000 that will be needed to bring the family to Osoyoos and help them through their first year until they can become established.
As of last Friday, the committee had raised more than $19,000.
A rental house has been obtained, but work is still needed to get it ready.
The Ryans said one of their first considerations would be to have some local Arabic-speaking residents to welcome and assist the family when they arrive.
One, Raouf Garram, originally from Tunisia, has agreed to meet the family at the airport, Vera said.
“They would be the very best people you could possibly ask to welcome them and be able to speak to them,” she said.
The committee is also arranging to have volunteers help them with orientation and with necessary steps such as setting up a bank account and other paperwork.
At this point, it’s unclear how much English the family speaks. Vera said language training would be organized for the parents.
“The children are very fortunate because the school has a class for children who come to school not knowing English as their first language,” said Vera, noting that the children, a girl aged eight and a boy aged five, will be attending Osoyoos Elementary School.
“The principal has already been approached by one of our steering committee members and they are looking forward to having the children come,” she said.
Their house is easily accessible to downtown Osoyoos, but Michael said volunteers would also be available to transport the family when necessary.
The committee has not yet received information about the parents’ job skills, but Michael said there has already been an offer of employment from a local restaurant.
Michael said he hopes the parents have the attitude – common among new immigrants and refugees – that they will take any job to get started in Canada and acquire experience and skills, even if it’s not what they want to do for a career.
The Ryans said they have read advice from an Anglican diocese refugee manual about some of the challenges faced by refugees and their sponsors.
The manual notes that refugees are often happy in their first months in a new country, but discouragement can occur six months to a year after arrival.
That’s when reality hits about the language barrier, family separation, loneliness, unemployment or underemployment, social class change if they were privileged in their home country and difficulty dealing with gloomy winters.
The manual also cautions sponsors to find a balance between smothering the family with attention and being too distant.
“I think we should really give them space to be on their own and just have a few people interacting with them,” said Vera.
The Ryans said they were pleased in general with the government’s announcement last week that it was extending the deadline.
This, said Michael, will lead to better public acceptance.
Although media coverage earlier this year focused on refugees fleeing to Europe, the Canadian government is drawing refugees from camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
Many refugees in Lebanon and Jordan have already been identified and registered by the UNHCR, while the Turkish government follows a similar process with its refugees.
Canadian authorities do further screening including a medical examination and security screening, including checking biometric information against international databases.
Lebanon, where the Osoyoos family is currently living, has no formal refugee camps for Syrians. Nonetheless, Lebanon has the largest refugee population in the world on a per-capita basis.
One in five people in Lebanon is a refugee, including roughly 1.5 million Syrians, who have fled the civil war in their own country. In total, there are more than four million Syrian refugees.
Volunteers are still needed for some local tasks. Those wishing to donate can drop off donations at the Osoyoos Times office. Cheques should be made out to St. Anne’s Catholic Parish with Refugee Project written on the memo line. They can also be mailed to the parish at P.O. Box 242, Osoyoos, BC V0H 1V0. Donations through the church are considered charitable donations for tax purposes.
Michael and Vera Ryan can be contacted at 250-495-6960 or at [email protected].
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
