The NDP is accusing government of doing what amounts to evictions of Ukrainians from their current housing situation.

Leader Jim Dinn says many newcomer Ukrainians have contacted them, panicking because they have received a letter giving them two weeks to find alternative housing. He says people who have found a job are receiving the letters, but they cannot afford housing on minimum wage.

He says government knew of the housing crunch in metro over a year ago when it set up the Ukrainian Help Desk in Poland. Now, he says, they are heartlessly evicting newcomers into a market where people are having trouble finding affordable housing. He says they should have taken steps long ago to address the housing shortage.

Minister Responds to NDP Statement

Meanwhile, Immigration Minister Gerry Byrne assures that there will be “no evictions” of vulnerable populations who need it.

Byrne says that the Executive Director of the Association for New Canadians reached out to the party’s leadership to explain how the program works.

While there are no evictions, he says there is an expectation that Ukrainians “move reasonably quickly” into society where it is possible. Byrne calls the comments of Jim Dinn “a real slap in the face” to the ANC.