Here’s the latest update about the two Syrian refugee families we are sponsoring:

We’ve been in contact with both the federal and provincial governments, through the office of Marc Garneau, our Member of Parliament, and through the Québec ministère de l'immigration, diversité et inclusion — here the minister is our MNA, Kathleen Weil. The news is pretty good.

It's been confirmed that both of our families' dossiers are in the embassies in Amman, Jordan and Beirut, Lebanon, and that security checks are in progress and medical checks have been ordered. These are the final steps in the process, apart from booking a flight.

We don't, however, know how long it will take. Things appear to be moving faster in Beirut than in Amman, so our "second" family may arrive first.

As you probably know, everything had slowed down. We've been told that this is not only because the initial 25,000 refugees were brought to Canada, but also because, in the wake of the Paris and Brussels attacks, security checks have become even more thorough. No one wants the public to turn against refugees because the wrong people slipped in due to lax security. We are told that two new pushes are coming, one this spring and the other this fall, to make sure all families who are in process get here this year.

We're in constant contact with both families. If you think we're frustrated with the delays and uncertainty, imagine how they feel! Yet, both have been consistently good-humoured and very grateful in dealing with us. We can't wait to have them here.

Thanks to all the volunteers and contributors who've been so generous with their time and their money. We’re really looking forward to the fund raising dinner on Saturday. (The event is fully sold out — if you have a ticket and find you can’t go, please contact Margot Pineau at 514-485-3633.)

Hang in there! Lâche pas!

The Refugee Sponsorship Task Force

Marlean Martin
John Inder
Diane and David Rollert