P.E.I. welcomes 1st government-sponsored Syrian refugees

The first two government-sponsoredrefugee families have arrived on Prince Edward Island.

Workforce and Advanced Learning Minister Richard Brown posted a photo of the new arrivals to Facebook on Tuesday.

"Yesterday, I welcomed the first two government-assisted refugee families to Prince Edward Island," he wrote. "They are excited and happy to be in their new home."

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Craig Mackie, executive director of the P.E.I. Association for Newcomers to Canada, said the families are in temporary accommodation and going through the initial stages of needs assessments.

He said the association is working to get them into permanent homes as soon as possible.

In November, the province had said it was expecting to take in 100 refugees by the end of the year, with another 150 coming by February 2016.