Canada's Kosovo Connections
The Kosovo Crisis and the Refugees in Canada
Dateline: 04/08/99
Updated: 05/06/99
Refugees Arriving in Canada
The Canadian government has agreed to offer a safe haven for 5000 refugees from Kosovo.The original plans to bring Kosovar refugees to Canada were postponed for three weeks, as NATO officials hoped to accommodate them closer to home. The situation has become critical again, and the first planeload of 250 Kosovars arrived at the Trenton military base in Ontario on Tuesday, May 4. A chartered plane will arrive every day, alternating between the Trenton base and Greenwood base in Nova Scotia.
This is considered to be an emergency evacuation, and most of the refugees who arrive expect to return to Kosovo. Some of the early arrivals are coming in under Immigration Canada's family reunification program.
The refugees will go through an initial medical assessment and customs clearance, and be given clothing and food. After a few days they will be moved to other bases in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. They will likely lodge at the bases for six weeks, before going into private homes.
Estimates put the cost for the first six months of the refugees stay at $100 million, including the transport costs.
Related Resources
Kosovo Backgrounder
Historical background on the situation in Kosovo, from National Defence Canada.Canadian Forces in Kosovo
Summary of the Canadian Forces contributions in Kosovo, from National Defence and the Canadian Forces.Humanitarian Aid from Canada
CIDA, the Canadian International Development Agency, is the lead federal agency in providing humanitarian aid to Kosovo.
