The purpose of this update is to provide residents with as much accurate, reliable information about the proposed newcomer reception centres as we can. Ever since the announcement about these centres was made on November 8th, the public has responded with lots of questions. When there’s an absence of good information, speculation and inaccurate information will find its way into the conversation. This document is an attempt to address that need for good information by providing clear, straightforward answers to some key questions. Our Q&A document reflects what we know right now.
The City of Ottawa has also issued their own Fact Sheet + Q&A document, which should help clear up some misconceptions. CBC Ottawa also published a good article earlier this week called “Sorting facts from fiction on centres for asylum seekers”, which we encourage anyone to read.
This update also includes details about our upcoming Public Information Session.
My office’s Q&A document will continue to evolve as the project progresses and we continue to have conversations in the community.
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What is this program, and why is it needed?
The reception centre is one component in a larger city-wide program that will provide a more sustainable solution to helping recently arrived refugees adapt and integrate into life in our city.
Right now, Ottawa is facing a challenge with providing shelter to newly arrived refugees. For a wide variety of reasons, the city’s shelter system is facing significant increased demand. With the increased stresses on the overall system, finding suitable accommodation for refugees has become even more challenging. To help cope with this pressure on shelter space, many refugees are currently being sheltered at Heron Road Community Centre and Bernard Grandmaître Arena, sleeping on cots, bunk beds and bleachers. Not only are they living in cramped conditions in facilities not designed for this purpose, but the residents of these communities are left without access to their community centre and arena. That isn’t good for anyone.
The proposed reception centres are an important part of addressing these systemic issues. These centres are a much-needed “landing place” in a broader strategy to improve the settlement and integration process for refugees—a process that also includes using brick and mortar buildings as transitional housing. This strategy includes three components:
- The city has proposed two sites for new reception centres, an initial site in Nepean and another one in Kanata.
- The city is converting some existing buildings into permanent shelters. This includes a converted retirement home, a converted office tower downtown, a closed convent in Orleans, and the Taggart Family YMCA. These permanent shelters will be used to house the newcomers currently living in Heron Road Community Centre and Bernard Grandmaitre Arena.
- The city plans to use federal funding to buy up to 20 four-to five-bedroom houses across Ottawa to be used as additional newcomer transitional housing.
This broad strategy will help take the pressure off our existing shelters and community centres, with facilities specifically designed to improve the city’s processes for integrating refugees into the life of our city. The centres are a key component in the city’s plan for a more effective and sustainable approach to providing refugee settlement services. Having all the supports and services refugees needed under one roof will ease their transition and ensure they land on their feet quickly and begin building new, productive lives.
I am hearing some politicians say that this facility will be used as a homeless shelter. Is that true?
No, this is not true. It is very unfortunate that some elected officials have been spreading inaccurate information about the plans for the refugee reception centres. An example of this is a recently distributed flyer which states that these structures will be used as a homeless shelter for up to 40 years. This statement is false.
The intended use of these structures is to provide temporary housing and transitional services for refugees who have been verified as refugees by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The centre will provide on-site services to ensure they have a warm place to stay, food to eat, and the support they need to get on their feet in our community.
The city has no plans for the structures when they are no longer needed as reception centres. I have asked this question to staff, myself, and they have confirmed that once these structures are no longer needed as reception centres, they could be repurposed for any number of recreational or community uses (e.g. a library, or a pickleball court).
What about Myers Riders Football Club, and the loss of their football field?
We have good news on this matter. Allow me to explain what’s happened over the past week and a half.
As I learned more about staff’s recommendation for 1645 Woodroffe, it quickly became clear that the choice of the football field at Confederation Education Centre (otherwise known as “Confed Field”) would have a huge impact on users of that field, especially Myers Riders Football Club. For those of you who don’t know, Myers Riders consists of hundreds of families that use Confed Field as a practice field on average 4 nights per week, from approximately May to November. For the City of Ottawa to have referred to this field as “underutilized” was not at all accurate, and quite insensitive, especially from the perspective of Myers Riders.
Solving this problem has been one of my primary goals since learning about this project.
I have had multiple conversations and meetings with the leadership at Myers Riders Football Club, as well as city staff. During my meetings with Myers, we discussed multiple possible solutions. Myers made it clear that not only do they need a football field for their frequent, regular practices, but since their practices are at night, they need a field with lights. Ideally, they want to stay at Confed Field, which they describe as their “community centre”.
Immediately adjacent to Confed Field is a smaller field known as “Upper Field”. When the city first recommended the use of Confed Field, which included recommendations from Stantec consulting firm, it was because Confed Field would be more feasible in terms of site preparation, site conditions and infrastructure.
I am pleased to report that after negotiations with city staff, the reception centre will be located on the Upper Field, to be placed at an appropriate distance from Confed Field so that it won’t interfere with regular football practice. This means that Myers Riders Football Club and other users of Confed Field will maintain access to their practice field, with its lights.
When will there be a Public Information Session?
An official, city-sponsored Public Information Session has been scheduled for December 4th at 6:00pm. The session will take place at the Nepean Sportsplex, in Halls A&B, which is accessible through Entrance 3 at the rear of the building. This is an accessible venue, with plenty of parking onsite.
The public information session will provide information about the refugee claimant and settlement process, the services that will be provided to newcomers at the new centres, the benefit to the city of having these centres, the process for site selection, and details about the structures and the timeline and process for constructing them. There will be an opportunity to visit with subject experts, ask questions, and have conversations. We want residents to come away from this meeting with the information they need to understand what the centres will be and what to expect over the coming months.
Is this a new system? Do we have facilities like this now?
Yes, this is a new approach. But cities across Ontario and Quebec are also developing similar strategies. At the moment, services in Ottawa are spread out and not always easy for newcomers to access. By providing the supports they need under one roof, it will ensure they get the best support that the city can offer and ensure they settle into their new life in our city as quickly and efficiently as possible.
While the city doesn’t use temporary structures in this way at the moment, there is an existing network of support services for refugees and newcomers, including housing. For example, there are non-profit organizations operating in Ottawa such as Matthew House, Carty House, or Stepstone House.
When will the centre open?
The city is aiming to have the first reception centre ready by the end of 2025, in order to address the current crisis as soon as possible, but also to help protect newcomers from having to seek other forms of shelter during the winter.
How long will these reception centres be operational?
The city is accessing federal funding to operate these two centres for up to a three-year period. As mentioned above, in addition to these two temporary shelters in Nepean and Kanata, the city is also working on brick-and-mortar solutions, including a converted retirement home, a converted office tower downtown, a closed convent in Orleans, and the Taggart Family YMCA. In addition to this, the city will also be facilitating the purchase of 20 individual homes to be used as additional transitional housing for newcomers, which will be owned and operated by qualifying non-profit organizations. All of this is to be funded with federal money.
What will the city do with these structures when they are no longer needed as reception centres?
The kind of structures the city is investigating come with a 25-year warranty. As mentioned above, once the reception centres are no longer needed, the city will consider repurposing these structures to serve the community in other ways, such as recreational or other community uses (e.g. a library, or a pickleball court, etc.).
How many people will be housed at the centre?
The proposed Nepean reception centre will accommodate up to 150 individuals at a time. They will be onsite for 60-90 days and then moved into more permanent transitional housing. I have been told by staff that these centres would be used for single adults, and that they would most likely be used as co-ed facilities (i.e. single males and single females, likely in different areas). Families and children will not be sheltered at these structures.
When did Councillor Devine first learn about this?
All city councillors knew that staff’s final recommendation for site location could be in any ward in the City of Ottawa. Council delegated authority to municipal staff to make these recommendations in order to ensure an objective process and to ensure that the site locations were chosen based on technical considerations rather than purely political considerations. This is common to many decisions within the city: Council approves policy (which council did in this case, last November) and then delegates implementation to staff.
As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters and bulletins, I first learned about the proposed site at 1645 Woodroffe on Wednesday, November 6th. At that time, I was told that the site was on a shortlist of recommended sites, and that the city was awaiting final confirmation and sign-off of an engineering report from Stantec consulting firm.
On Thursday November 7th I was told that city staff were confirming the recommendation of two sites for reception centres, which were the Nepean site (1645 Woodroffe) and the Kanata site (40 Hearst Way). This information then went public a few hours later, on the evening of November 7th.
Why was there no public consultation on site selection, and why were these decisions made by city staff instead of elected councillors?
City Council did make decisions on this policy. Council passed a motion in November of 2023 instructing staff to pursue the use of semi-permanent shelters to help consolidate shelter and support for refugees arriving in our city. Council directed city staff to review and identify locations where such semi-permanent shelters might be erected.
No consultations were held on this matter because the need was urgent and addressing it was not optional. Under our system, City Councils are responsible for making these sorts of decisions and delegating their implementation to city staff. It is still the city’s responsibility to ensure residents are informed and provided with answers to their questions. The city has a dedicated page on Engage Ottawa related to this project and regular information updates will continue to be provided. The City of Ottawa will also be holding a Public Information Session on December 4th, at 6:00pm at the Nepean Sportsplex to support that effort to keep residents informed with up-to-date and reliable information.
Does Councillor Devine support this?
Councillor Devine fully supports the need for an effective and sustainable solution to the current crisis. There is a clear need to appropriately shelter and support newly arrived refugees. At the moment, the existing network of local services and facilities is being overwhelmed and is not designed to serve the purpose adequately.
Along with his Council colleagues, Councillor Devine supported a motion in November of 2023 instructing staff to pursue the use of semi-permanent shelters to help consolidate shelter and support for refugees arriving in our city. Council directed city staff to review and identify locations where such semi-permanent shelters might be erected. Staff ultimately recommended two locations for reception centres: 1645 Woodroffe Ave, and 40 Hearst Way in Kanata. These two sites are among three shortlisted locations that were deemed viable by the consulting engineers from Stantec. Council had no role in identifying or selecting the sites.
Why was 1645 Woodroffe site selected, and what about the other sites?
Council directed city staff to review and identify locations where such semi-permanent shelters might be erected. Staff ultimately recommended two locations for reception centres: 1645 Woodroffe Ave, and 40 Hearst Way in Kanata. These two sites are among three shortlisted locations that were deemed viable by the consulting engineers from Stantec. Council had no role in identifying or selecting the sites.
Residents will have the opportunity to hear directly from staff at the December 4 information session and to be walked through the decision-making process and technical evaluations.
1645 Woodroffe isn’t near any grocery stores. How will they eat?
Similar to what’s currently happening at Heron Road Community Centre and Bernard Grandmaître Arena, these reception centres will be full-service sites, which includes food service and dining areas. At Heron Road Community Centre and Bernard Grandmaître Arena, a mobile catering company brings in meals three times a day. Something like this would be in place at these newcomer reception centres, and is part of the operating costs to be paid for through federal funding.
What is a sprung structure?
First of all, it’s important to realize that it is not a tent, as some sources have suggested. Sprung structures are modular tension fabric buildings that feature aluminum arches connected to an all-weather outer architectural membrane. To get a true sense of what a sprung structure looks like and how it is built, we encourage you to watch this video.
The reason they’re called “sprung” structures is because one of the leading manufacturers of these kinds of facilities is owned by the Sprung family. As you’ll see from the company’s website, these structures are built and used for a wide range of institutional purposes.
These structures proposed for Ottawa are 30,000 square foot facilities that are solidly built, with running water and plumbing. The centres will have common rooms, and rooms for communal dining, and more space than is currently provided for newcomers at the makeshift facilities currently housed in two of the city’s community centres. Each newcomer would have their own pod and space to store belongings, providing them with a little privacy.
Is it only the municipal government that is involved in this program? Does the municipal government have any role in setting immigration policy, or policy on refugees and asylum seekers?
Not at all. The federal government is responsible for immigration, refugee, and settlement programs in Canada. Municipal governments are involved in providing assistance to settlement organizations to help newcomers adapt to their new communities. The funding for this initiative will come from the federal Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), which is a program within the federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Municipalities and provinces can bill the federal government for costs incurred for temporarily housing asylum claimants.
Who is paying for this?
The new structures will be funded through the federal Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), which is a program within the federal department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Municipalities and provinces can bill the federal government for costs incurred for temporarily housing asylum claimants.
The IHAP program normally requires that participating municipalities cover 5% of costs. Will the City of Ottawa need to pay that 5% of costs?
The City is negotiating the agreement with Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada. The intent is to cover all costs related to the newcomer reception centre model through federal funding.
The site preparation costs for 1645 Woodroffe are estimated at $3.5 million. Are those costs paid for by the City or is that to be covered with the federal funding?
All costs for construction including pre-development work and site preparation will be covered through federal funding.
Does the project proceed if the City of Ottawa does not get this federal funding from IHAP/IRCC? And if so, who pays for it?
Staff may proceed with a portion of the work utilizing other federal funding. However, without receiving the funding noted in the newcomer reception centre proposal it is not possible to operationalize the model.
Do we know whether the multi-year costs for site operation (e.g. staffing, utilities, food, etc) are also to be covered by federal funding?
Yes, the newcomer reception proposal submitted to IHAP/IRCC covers all costs for site operations, maintenance, and construction.
What about safety?
Safety is always important and there will be 24/7 security provided for the site, as there is for the current temporary shelters. These facilities will also be fully staffed. There have been no reports of any safety concerns with the current residents at the existing temporary shelters at Heron Road and Bernard Grandmaître.
It’s important to understand that refugee newcomers are motivated to build a new life here in Canada. They have been through a lot to get here. They aren’t just “hanging around.” They’re taking language courses. They’re doing job interviews. They’re doing volunteer work. They are actively engaged in making the community better for themselves and others. These are our new neighbours, neighbours who are eager to find their own way.
As part of our due diligence, we reached out Ottawa Police Services to ask whether there have been any observable trends in reported crime associated with newcomers at any of the existing shelters that have been operating in the city for the past few years. Ottawa Police Services reviewed data covering the period of January 1, 2022 to November 20, 2024. OPS reported to our office that there is no evidence to suggest that the presence of newcomers is having any effect on local crime trends. They also provided this reassurance: “Although it is common for residents of areas with higher immigration populations to be concerned about a rise in crime rates, research shows refugees are not more likely to commit crimes than other groups (Cardenas, 2023). During Jung (2020)’s literature review of various studies, his findings concluded that there was no significant correlation between immigration and crime.”
What services will these refugees and asylum seekers receive, and will that impact other Ottawa residents?
It’s important to understand that there is already an existing network of services designed to support newcomers to our city. The resources and mechanisms already exist to support newcomers here in the city. These reception centres are part of an effort to improve those services and ensure refugee newcomers are receiving services in the most effective and efficient manner possible to give them the best possible chance of getting on their feet in our community. Residents of the area will notice very little change to their own day-to-day lives.
Thank you for reading.
