Quebecers ready to welcome Syrian refugees arriving this weekend

Organizations in Montreal are in the middle oflast-minute preparationsso that they can welcome the first planeload of Syrian refugees.

The flightis scheduled to land in Montreal tonight.

Earlier this week, a flight landed at Toronto's Pearson International Airport where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greeted the newly arrived refugees.

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Tonight, upon landing at Trudeau International Airport, the refugees be welcomed at Gate 17 away from the main terminal.

Border agents will interview the newcomers, process their paperwork and verify their identities.

The refugees will get a medical screening. Before leaving the airport, they will also be given a medicare card and a social insurance number so that they can start working immediately.

Once the processing is complete, the refugees who are privately sponsored will meet their sponsors. The others will be shuttled to temporary living spaces.

Community centres across the province say they're ready to offer a warm welcome.

"The community is extremely happy and excited to receive those refugees because it has been nearly four and a half years they have been suffering," said Bilal Hamideh, a volunteer at the Laurentian Community Centre in Montreal.

The centre is collecting money, clothing donations and selling food for the Syrian refugees.

At Montreal's McCord Museum, dozens of bins filled with tuques were all knitted by volunteers to help keep Syrians warm during their first Quebec winter.

First-time volunteer Mary Sara will be paired with a family and she'll help them with things that range from grocery shopping to teaching them about Quebec cultures and traditions.

"If they have no place, I'll put them in my house. If they need [to go] shopping they need food, they need clothes anything, I'll help them," she said.

The Quebec government will help pay for language training while settlement centres will also provide support, but much of the support will come from the community.