Death of second asylum-seeker at Mississauga shelter sparks calls for more funding, support

Several African Canadian groups are continuing to call for more support for refugee claimants in Canada after another asylum-seeker died while seeking shelter in Mississauga last weekend.

Speaking at a news conference outside the Dundas Shelter, located on Dundas Street East in Mississauga, the leaders of a number of African Canadian groups spoke out about the woman’s death, which occurred at the shelter on Feb. 18.

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Advocates say the woman, an asylum-seeker from Kenya, waited for several hours in the cold before she was permitted inside the building and passed away less than 24 hours later.

“Now we may not stand here and confirm or deny that the cause of the death… was because she was waiting outside for hours and hours. As much as we can not confirm that, there is something that we cannot deny. We cannot deny the correlation,” pastor Eddie Jumba told reporters on Friday morning.

“This is what we know… we know that our sister showed up and she had to wait outside for a long time in the cold. And eventually, she died. That we know.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Region of Peel confirmed that prior to her death, the woman had arrived at the shelter on the Family Day weekend needing a place to stay.

“After experiencing a medical emergency at the shelter, she was taken to the hospital where she passed away. The hospital does not feel that the death is suspicious and there is no police involvement,” the statement, which was provided to CTV News Toronto, read.

The spokesperson offered condolences to the loved ones of the deceased and the “broader asylum claimant and African communities.”

“Asylum claimants sacrifice so much in the hope of building a life of freedom, safety, and hope in Canada. We need to do better,” the statement continued.

“As members of Regional Council, we will continue to advocate to all levels of government for more funding to support the settlement and integration of asylum seekers; while expanding access to and investing more in housing subsidy, wraparound supports, and health care for vulnerable communities.”

The death comes after another asylum-seeker from Nigeria died outside the same shelter just three months ago.

Peel police previously confirmed that the man, who was in his 40s, was found without vital signs in a tent outside the shelter on Nov. 15. His death was deemed “non-suspicious” by police.

On Friday, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown confirmed that Peel Region’s shelter system is running at over 400 per cent capacity due to the use of shelter hotels.

Brown has also previously said that about 80 per cent of the people in the shelter system are asylum-seekers, largely from African countries, and on any given night, the region sees as many as 150 people sleeping outdoors.

“It is unfortunate that this is the second time that I am standing here for exactly the same reason,” Jumba said Friday.

He said the mood in the community has been one of “grief,” “anger,” and “despair.”

“This is not just an issue in Mississauga… this is a national issue and it should be responded to as such,” Jumba said.

Earlier this month, the federal government announced that through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP) program, an additional $362 million will be distributed across Canada to help support the influx of asylum claimants arriving in the country.

In November, Ottawa also pledged to provide $7 million to Peel Region to help create a permanent welcome centre to process refugees and asylum seekers at Toronto Pearson International Airport. It is not clear if that funding has flowed to the region at this point.