A local group is laying the groundwork and exploring the possibility of welcoming a family of Syrian refugees to 100 Mile House, starting with two community meetings on Dec. 3.
Millions of Syrians have been displaced by a relentless civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since 2011.
As the Liberal government of Canada moves ahead with its goal of welcoming 25,000 refugees from that country in the coming months – 2,500 of which are expected to arrive in British Columbia – towns and cities across the country are preparing to welcome the expected influx of newcomers.
Kimberly Vance-Lundsbye, the Welcoming Communities co-ordinator with Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy, is helping organize the community meeting, along with Rob Diether of the Friendship Centre and Reverends Kris and Keith Dobyns of St. Timothy's Anglican Church.
“Rather than have a lot of little groups working on a big project on their own, I thought it would be good to have an open house for anyone who is interested to know what it takes to sponsor a refugee family privately, and also what the government is doing,” explains Vance-Lundsbye.
“I think if people want to help and get together to talk about that, I want to help provide them with a space to do that.”
The community meeting is planned for Dec. 3 at St. Timothy's Anglican Church at the corner of Blackstock and Horse Lake roads in 100 Mile House. People can attend a 2 p.m. or 6 p.m. meeting.
The first meetings may lead to a working group, which will explore the issue more seriously, explains Vance-Lundsbye.
“I recognize there's a lot of fear out there and there's a lot of fear in our community. That needs to be validated.
“But at the same time, it doesn't mean people who want to do meaningful work – perhaps even get to their own goal of sponsoring a Syrian refugee family to come to 100 Mile House if that's the goal – I hope none of the negativity gets in the way of that.”
According to the provincial government, the province welcomes nearly 40,000 new immigrants every year, and with one million job openings expected by 2020, it states immigrants will play a vital role in the province's economy.
More than 4.2 million Syrians are registered with the UN Refugee Agency.