January 31, 2024—Ottawa—With increasing global migration, Canada is experiencing a rise in the number of people claiming asylum. While housing and supports for asylum claimants are the responsibility of provinces and municipalities, the federal government recognizes the need for all orders of government to work together to address the rise in the number of people claiming asylum in Canada.
Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced an additional $362.4 million in funding for the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) as part of the 2023–2024 fiscal year. Through the IHAP, the Government of Canada provides funding to provincial and municipal governments, on a cost-sharing basis, to address extraordinary interim housing pressures resulting from increased volumes of asylum claimants.
Chow lowers budget tax hike to 9.5 per cent
The Star has learned that Mayor Olivia Chow plans to boost Torontonians’ property tax by a total of 9.5 per cent — down from the 10.5-per-cent hike earlier recommended by city staff.
Chow will make the announcement Thursday morning in Scarborough while unveiling the rest of her version of the city’s 2024 budget that will go to city council on Feb. 14, according to a source briefed on the plan.
The mayor’s proposed tax hike — eight per cent plus the 1.5 per cent city building fund dedicated to transit and housing — would be the highest in modern Toronto history, but would remain below the psychological double-digit increase that caused some shock when city staff first proposed it on Jan. 10.
