Winnipeg may host public session on how to sponsor Syrian refugees

The City of Winnipeg wants to make it easier for citizens to sponsor Syrian refugees, with a public information session in the works.

Mayor Brian Bowman convinced members of council's executive policy committee on Wednesday to approve a city-run information session on sponsoring refugees.

Bowman said the meeting would bring together local groups that help refugees to answer Winnipeggers' questions about the process.

The mayor said cities, along with other levels of government, have a role in addressing the Syrian refugee crisis.

"We can point fingers at other levels of government, but what we've chosen to do is to look at what we can do as a city to support the efforts of those that want to move to our great city," Bowman told reporters.

The information session would be held within a month of councilapproving it.

"Essentially what we would intend to do is to bring together groups that are helping with refugee settlement in our community [and] invite other levels of government to come forward to provide information to Winnipeggers that want to help," Bowman said.

"So if Winnipeggers want to sponsor a family, let's get everybody in the room and allow for that information to be easily available to Winnipeggers who do want to help."

Bowman said he also wants city staff to prepare a report on what resources are currently available for people interested in sponsoring a refugee.

"It's really to make information available to Winnipeggers who really do want to help. My family and I, my wife and I, have donated to Mennonite Central Committee. They do really good relief work and refugee settlement work. Other groups like the Red Cross are helping with some of the more immediate needs of the refugees right now," he said.

"We want to make sure we're providing them with access to those organizations and other levels of government that may want to join us to provide as much information as possible."