Refugees fleeing conflict make their way to the Krakovets border on March 09, 2022 in Krakovets, Ukraine. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The federal government will book millions of dollars worth of hotel rooms to house Ukrainian refugees, according to a notice from the Department of Immigration.
“The program allows for a one-time accommodation stay of up to a period of 14 nights for individuals or families,” said the Aug. 30 notice to hoteliers, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
The notice, titled “Accommodations: Ukrainian Nationals,” said the hotel rooms would be booked in several cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, and St. John’s. Any damage to the rooms would be covered by taxpayers, it noted.
“The Department of Immigration will be responsible for damages caused to hotel property,” it said.
To date, Canada has approved 216,000 of 515,000 Ukrainian applications to come to Canada amid the Russian invasion.
No budget was detailed in the notice, though it said the department required a minimum of 20 hotels to book 500 double rooms fit for families of four with pets over a five-month period from Oct. 11, 2022, to March 31, 2023. Options to extend reservations must be included, it said.
“The contractor must ensure additional room services or features typically available such as, but not limited to, in-room mini bars,” the notice said.
“Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel is one of the many special measures the Government of Canada has introduced to support the people of Ukraine due to the crisis resulting from the invasion of Ukraine,” it added.
“It offers Ukrainians and their family members free extended temporary status and allows them to work, study and stay in Canada until it is safe for them to return home.”
The notice also said that while this program is primarily for the Canada-Ukraine initiative, it may be used to provide temporary accommodations for other migrants receiving the Department of Immigration’s support.
The hotel program is the largest of its kind since the government first mandated hotel quarantine for air travellers entering Canada in February 2021, according to Blacklock’s.
The Public Health Agency, in a March 25 Inquiry of Ministry introduced in the House of Commons, said costs for rooms, meal service, cleaning, security, transporting travellers, and providing medical care would average up to $2,390,000 per hotel. The quarantine program used 22 hotels.
“The daily room rate per designated quarantine facility ranged between $49 and $139 per night,” said the Inquiry.
