Syrian Refugees in Peterborough
When Paul Malott, lead pastor of Calvary Church in Peterborough, Ontario, suggested that his church support a family from Syria, many were initially excited to participate. The project would need $30 000, and required the time of volunteers to help ease the family into Canadian life. “It was a big goal but most members of the church thought it would be an amazing project,” says Malott.
In recent months, many Syrian families have immigrated to Canada as refugees in an attempt to better their lives and find security for their families. Canadians all over the country have been supportive of this cause, donating their time and money to making sure the families can immigrate and are comfortable in their new lives. However, not all of these efforts are successful.
When the project was introduced at Calvary Church and people were asked to put forth their time and resources, goals were not being reached. Fundraising events did not deliver, and other things became of importance within the church community. “When it came down to actually getting it done, people weren’t willing to put in the effort. People got busy and for one reason or another couldn’t commit to helping and it just didn’t work out,” says Malott.
Peterborough, which received national attention earlier this year for a fire set to the only mosque in the community, is not known for diversity. Gregory Booth, aged 53, is a member of the church who strongly supported the project, and he thinks that the failure could be because of the lack of diversity within the community.
“The people in the church are supportive of refugees coming into Peterborough and were happy when some families arrived here, but they don’t really care enough to actually help out,” says Booth, “It’s hard for people who are so used to everyone around them being middle class and white to really understand the situation.” Calvary Church, and the city of Peterborough, have a high population of elderly people. According to the last census, the city is 96% caucasian.
One Syrian single mother and her three children, sponsored by a group of community members named Salaam Peterborough, already call Peterborough home, and more are expected to be arriving in coming months. These families will be brought to Canada through both privately sponsored groups within Peterborough, and government funding. An exact number is unknown, but myKawartha.com has reported that between 80 and 100 Syrian refugees will be living in Peterborough in 2016.
Though the first attempt to raise funds failed, Malott still shows interest in the project. He says, “I still have hope that it will work out, we’ve had some setbacks but it’s something I really feel very strongly about.” For now, the project is on hold and there aren’t any plans to immediately pick it back up, but if the church congregation showed enough interest and commitment Malott says he would start it up again as soon as possible.
(written March 2016)
